LAND 


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BY 


J 


SCOTT 


H-  'S-  Oi 


ttvc  ®'hcologi«/  ^ 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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MORTALITY 

"That  skull  had  a tongue  in  it,  and  could  sing  once.” — Hamlet 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


OBSERVATIONS  AND  EXPERIENCES  IN  INDIA 
DURING  THE  GREAT  DROUGHT  OF  1899-1900 


Rev.  J.  E.  SCOTT,  Ph.D.,  S.T.D. 

CHAIRMAN  M.  E.  MISSION  . RELIEF  COMMITTEE 
RAJPUTANA 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
HARPER  Sr  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 
1904 


Copyright,  1904,  by  J.  E.  Scott. 

All  rights  reserved. 
Published  February,  1904. 


Dedicated 


TO 

LORD  CURZON  OF  KEDLESTON 

VICEROY  AND  GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  INDIA 


UNDER  WHOSE  ENERGETIC  AND  BENEVOLENT  ADMINISTRATION 
THE  HORRORS  OF  THE  GREAT  FAMINE  WERE 
MITIGATED  AND  RELIEVED 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Preface ix 

I.  Great  Famines  in  India i 

II.  The  Causes  of  Famine  io 

III.  Prevention  of  Famine 23 

IV.  The  Great  Famine  . ■ 28 

V.  The  Famine  Codes 42 

VI.  Famine  Relief 54 

VII.  Rajputana 67 

VIII.  Trekking 77 

IX.  The  Bhils 84 

X.  Through  Famine  Land 95 

XI.  Cholera 103 

XII.  The  Place  of  Death 113 

XIII.  Receiving  and  Giving 123 

XIV.  Sujat  Road 131 

XV.  Bikanir 141 

XVI.  Ajmir-Mairwara 150 

XVII.  Tilaunia 165 

XVIII.  Phalera 176 

XIX.  Forms  of  Relief 185 

XX.  Conclusion 196 

Index 199 

Glossary 206 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


MORTALITY Frontispiece 

MAP  OF  INDIA  AND  CEYLON.  SHADED  PART  SHOWS 

FAMINE  AREA Facing  p.  I 

DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD  IN  FAMINE  TIME  ...  “ 4 

WAITING  FOR  FOOD “ 16 

THE  DEAD  PIT DAILY  COMPANY “ 36 

POOR-HOUSE  AT  AHMEDABAD “ 44 

RELIEF  WORKS BREAKING  STONE “ 50 

CONVALESCENTS  IN  THE  POOR-HOUSE “ 58 

THE  CORN  SHIP  “QUITO”  IN  BOMBAY  ....  “ 62 

HEARING  AND  ATTENDING  TO  PETITIONS  OF  THE 

POOR “ 64 

STARVING  VILLAGERS,  RAJPUTANA “ 68 

FAMINE-STRICKEN “ 74 

ON  THE  WAY “ 78 

BHIL  BOWMEN,  RAJPUTANA “ 84 

AT  LAST “ 86 

THE  TREE  UNDER  WHICH  THE  REV.  C.  S.  THOMPSON, 

C.M.S.,  DIED “ 88 

OUR  GUESTS “ 96 

THE  HORRORS  OF  FAMINE.  PARTLY  EATEN  BY 

JACKALS  WHILE  ALIVE “ IOO 

STARVED “ 104 

CREMATION  OF  FAMINE  BODIES,  AHMEDABAD  . . “ 106 

vii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


SORTING  THE  PATIENTS — GODHRA Facing  p.  108 

THE  STAFF  THAT  STUCK  — CHRISTIAN  NURSES  IN 

FRONT “ IIO 

THE  VALLEY  AND  SHADOW  OF  DEATH “ 114 

GRAIN  STORED  AT  GODHRA  READY  FOR  VILLAGES  . “ 126 

“LITTLE  koko” “ 128 

AGED  BY  HUNGER “ 138 

FAMINE  CHILDREN — EVERY-DAY  SPECIMENS  ...  “ 146 

RESCUED  CHILDREN,  AJMIR “ 152 

GROUP  OF  ORPHANS,  AJMIR — AFTER  TWO  MONTHS.  “ 156 

GROUP  OF  ORPHANS,  AJMIR — AFTER  THREE  MONTHS  “ 160 

GROUP  OF  ORPHANS,  AJMIR — AFTER  FOUR  MONTHS  “ 162 

THE  KITCHEN  AT  TILAUNIA “ 1 66 

“ CHRISTIAN  HERALD  ” CORN  READY  FOR  DISTRI- 
BUTION   “ 170 

WAITING  TO  PURCHASE  CHEAP  GRAIN  ....  “ 186 

FRUIT  BEARING BISHOP  WARNE  BAPTIZING  OR- 
PHANS AT  BARODA “ 192 

ORPHAN  BOYS  BAPTIZED  BY  BISHOP  WARNE  AT 

NADIAD “ 196 


PREFACE 


This  book  is  not  the  outgrowth  of  the  dreamy  medi- 
tations of  a recluse.  It  is  not  the  result  of  a morbid 
imagination.  It  is  not  a book  of  fiction.  It  is  not 
written  to  gloat  over  unprecedented  human  miseries, 
nor  from  a desire  to  be  sensational,  nor  to  hold  up 
horrors  to  a benevolent  and  sympathetic  public. 

It  is  rather  written  from  the  stand-point  of  the  most 
tangible  of  all  facts,  the  social  and  physical  life  of  a 
people,  to  record  some  of  the  natural,  economic,  and 
political  conditions  under  which  they  exist,  and  to  pre- 
serve certain  details  of  recent  events  of  universal  human 
interest  while  fresh  in  the  memory  and  while  contem- 
porary corroborating  testimony  is  readily  available. 

It  is  written,  too,  by  one  who  has  spent  the  most  of 
his  life  in  India,  and  who,  in  the  late  famine,  took  a 
humble  part  in  trying  to  save  life  and  relieve  distress. 
Others  did  more,  but  none  could  have  had  a deeper 
appreciation  of  existing  need  nor  a greater  desire  to 
relieve  it.  It  is  essential  to  a clear  understanding  of 
the  calamity  to  know  something  of  the  history  of  famines 
in  India,  of  the  conditions  under  which  they  arise,  of  the 
causes  which  produce  them,  and  of  the  efforts  put  forth 
by  the  government  and  by  private  benevolence  to  save 
and  relieve  the  stricken  people.  Hence,  these  subjects 
have  been  included. 

It  is  said  that  “ one  half  the  world  does  not  know  how 
the  other  half  lives”;  but  recent  events  have  shown 


IX 


PREFACE 


that  one  half  the  world  has  been  interested  in  keeping 
many  millions  of  the  other  half  alive.  As  chairman  of 
one  Famine  Relief  Committee  and  member  of  several 
others  I was  jointly  responsible  for  the  distribution  of 
several  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  mostly  contrib- 
uted by  the  people  of  America.  These  kind  donors 
doubtless  have  a desire,  as  they  certainly  have  a right, 
to  know  what  became  of  their  contributions.  I have, 
therefore,  endeavored  to  give  an  account  of  famine  re- 
lief in  at  least  part  of  the  afflicted  provinces,  that  they 
may  know,  from  one  present,  something  of  what  became 
of  their  money,  grain,  clothing,  and  medicines  so  gener- 
ously contributed.  The  famine,  thank  God!  has  gone, 
but  thousands  of  waifs,  mostly  children  under  twelve 
years  of  age,  are  left  as  a legacy,  to  be  fed,  clothed,  and 
trained.  Many  are  aiding  in  this  noble  work.  It  may 
be  seen  from  these  pages  from  what  a death,  and  at  what 
personal  risks,  these  waifs  have  been  rescued.  Many 
of  them  will  grow  into  useful  men  and  women.  In 
this  great  famine  millions  have  perished  in  spite  of  all 
that  the  most  active  measures  and  the  most  tender  care 
could  do.  It  is  impossible  that  famine  be  ever  entirely 
banished  from  India,  but  its  horrors  may  be  greatly 
mitigated  and  the  distress  of  the  people  relieved. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  I am  indebted  to 
many  for  their  valuable  assistance ; in  fact,  I have  sought 
to  give  the  facts,  scenes,  and  incidents  connected  with 
the  famine  in  the  language  of  eye-witnesses,  actively 
engaged  in  famine  relief,  and  who  wrote  down  at  the 
time  their  vivid  impressions.  Numerous  extracts  from 
current  literature,  from  letters  written  to  friends  and  to 
the  press,  and  from  official  documents,  reports,  and 
statistics  have  been  quoted.  I am  especially  indebted 
to  the  pages  of  the  Christian  Herald,  of  New  York, 
and  the  Guardian  and  the  Indian  Witness,  of  India,  for 


x 


PREFACE 


current  incidents.  It  has  been  the  aim  to  give  credit 
for  these  in  the  body  of  the  work.  The  photographs 
were  taken,  as  a rule,  by  famine  relief  officers  and  other 
helpers,  as  they  went  about  their  work  among  the  peo- 
ple. Some  few  of  them,  perhaps,  have  been  published 
before,  but  all  help  to  illustrate  and  interpret  the  fam- 
ine. I have  sought  to  give  the  latest  available  statis- 
tics and  the  most  reliable  data  from  official  sources. 
The  full  results  of  the  late  census  were  not  yet  published, 
and  I had  to  make  use  of  advanced  sheets  of  the  late 
Famine  Commission’s  Report  at  the  time  this  book  was 
concluded.  However,  it  is  hoped  that  I have  stated 
nothing  which  may  be  vitiated  or  disproved  by  their 
fuller  facts  and  conclusions.  For  all  imperfections  the 
author  can  only  ask  the  indulgence  of  the  reader. 


Ajmere,  N.  W.  P.,  India 
August  i2,  1903 


J.  E.  Scott. 


MAP  OF  INDIA  AND  CEYLON.  SHADED  PART  SHOWS  FAMINE  AREA 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


i 

GREAT  FAMINES  IN  INDIA 

“ Famine  is  India’s  specialty.  Elsewhere  famines  are  inconse- 
quential incidents;  in  India  they  are  devastating  cataclysms. 
In  the  one  case  they  annihilate  hundreds,  in  the  other  mill- 
ions.”— More  Tramps  Abroad. 

From  time  immemorial  there  have  been  great,  wide- 
spread, devastating  famines  in  India.  The  historic 
faculty  being  deficient  in  this  slow,  plodding  people,  they 
have  failed  to  record  their  sufferings,  so  that  we  have 
no  complete  record  of  these  awful  periodic  calamities. 
But  there  are  hints.  On  good  authority  we  learn  that 
five  hundred  years  before  Christ,  in  the  reign  of  Jai 
Chand,  there  were  great  pestilence  and  famine  in  India. 
Whole  provinces  were  depopulated  in  the  reign  of 
Musaood  I.,  in  1022,  a.d.  Delhi  and  the  Punjab  were 
visited  by  famine  in  1291,  1342,  1344-45,  1412-13,  1738, 
1781-83,  1785,  1824-25,  1860-61,  1868-69,  1897,  and 
1900.  In  the  Madras  Presidency  there  were  famines 
in  1811,  1824,  1833,  1854,  1877,  1888,  and  1890. 

Great  famines  ravaged  the  Northwest  Provinces  in 
1770,  1783,  1803,  1819,  1837,  1861,  and  1877.  In  1344- 
45  the  famine  was  almost  universal  throughout  India, 
and  so  severe  that  the  Emperor  Muhammad  was  not  able 

1 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


to  get  supplies  for  his  own  family.  There  was  a great 
famine  in  India  in  1491.  In  1521  and  in  1540-43  there 
were  famines  in  Sind.  One  of  the  great  famines  of 
history  was  in  1631.  It  prevailed  over  almost  the  whole 
of  Asia,  and  was  especially  severe  in  Hindustan.  “ It 
began,”  says  the  historian,  ‘‘from  a failure  of  the 
periodical  rains  of  1629,  and  was  raised  to  a frightful 
pitch  by  a recurrence  of  the  same  misfortune  in  1630. 
Thousands  of  people  emigrated,  and  many  perished  be- 
fore they  reached  more  favored  provinces;  vast  num- 
bers died  at  home ; whole  districts  were  depopulated,  and 
some  had  not  recovered  at  the  end  of  forty  years.  The 
famine  was  accompanied  by  a total  want  of  forage  and 
by  the  death  of  all  the  cattle,  and  the  miseries  of  the 
people  were  completed  by  a pestilence  such  as  is  usually 
the  consequence  of  the  other  calamities.” 

Famine  often  waited  upon  war.  ‘‘After  the  con- 
quest of  Lodi,”  says  Mr.  Mills,1  “the  war  in  the  Deccan 
was  little  else  than  a series  of  ravages.  The  princes  were 
able  to  make  little  resistance.  A dreadful  famine,  from 
several  years  of  excessive  drought,  which  prevailed 
throughout  India  and  a great  part  of  Asia,  added  its 
horrid  evils  to  the  calamities  which  overwhelmed  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Deccan.”  There  was  another  great 
famine  during  the  reign  of  Aurangzeb.  “ The  third  year 
of  his  reign”  (1665),  says  the  author  quoted  above,2 
“was  visited  with  a great  famine,  a calamity  which 
ravages  India  with  more  dreadful  severity  than  almost 
any  other  part  of  the  globe.  It  was  occasioned  by  the 
recurrence  of  an  extraordinary  drought,  which  in  India 
almost  suspends  vegetation,  and  throughout  the  prin- 
cipal parts  of  the  country  leaves  both  men  and  cattle 
destitute  of  food.” 


1 History  of  India,  vol.  ii. , p.  263. 


' Ibid.,  p.  278. 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 

In  1770  Bengal  was  devastated  by  the  most  awful 
famine  which,  according  to  Colonel  Baird  Smith,  had 
ever  visited  India.1  It  is  stated  that  one-third  of  all 
Bengal,  one  of  the  most  fruitful  presidencies  in  India, 
lay  “waste  and  silent”  for  twenty  years.  A brief 
account  of  it  is  given  below: 

“The  crops  of  December,  1768,  and  August,  1769, 
were  both  scanty,  and  prices  became  very  high;  and 
throughout  the  month  of  October,  1769,  hardly  a drop 
of  rain  fell.  The  usual  refreshing  showers  of  January 
to  May  also  failed  in  1770,  in  which  year,  until  late  in 
May,  scarcely  any  rain  fell.  The  famine  was  felt  in  all 
the  northern  part  of  Bengal  as  early  as  November, 
1769,  but  by  the  4th  of  January,  1770,  the  daily  deaths 
from  starvation  in  Patna  were  up  to  fifty;  and  before 
the  end  of  May,  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  tanks  were 
dried  up,  and  the  springs  had  ceased  to  reach  the  surface, 
and  before  the  end  of  April,  1770,  famine  had  spread 
desolation.  In  Murshidabad,  at  length,  the  dead  were 
left  uninterred ; dogs,  jackals,  and  vultures  were  the  sole 
scavengers.  Three  millions  of  people  were  supposed 
to  have  perished.  It  is  also  said  that  within  the  first 
nine  months  of  1770,  one-third  of  the  entire  population 
of  lower  Bengal  perished  for  want  of  food.” 

In  writing  of  the  famine  of  1770,  Macaulay  states: 

“In  the  summer  of  1770  the  rains  failed;  the  earth 
was  parched  up,  the  tanks  were  empty ; the  rivers  shrank 
within  their  beds,  and  a famine,  such  as  is  known  only 
in  countries  where  every  household  depends  for  support 
on  its  own  little  patch  of  cultivation,  filled  the  whole 


1 Vide  Romesh  Dutt’s  Famines  in  India,  p.  1. 

3 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


valley  of  the  Ganges  with  misery  and  death.  Tender 
and  delicate  women,  whose  veils  had  never  been  lifted 
before  the  public  gaze,  came  forth  from  the  inner  cham- 
bers in  which  Eastern  jealousy  had  kept  watch  over 
their  beauty,  threw  themselves  on  the  earth  before  the 
passer-by,  and  with  loud  wailings  implored  a handful  of 
rice  for  their  children.  The  Hoogly  every  day  rolled 
down  thousands  of  corpses  close  to  the  porticos  and 
gardens  of  the  English  conquerors.  The  very  streets 
of  Calcutta  were  blocked  up  by  the  dying  and  the  dead. 
The  lean  and  feeble  survivors  had  not  energy  enough 
to  carry  the  bodies  of  their  kindred  to  the  funeral  pile 
or  the  holy  river,  or  even  to  scare  away  the  jackals  and 
vultures  that  fed  on  human  remains  in  the  face  of  day.” 

Still  another  account  is  given  in  England's  Work  for 
India,  thus: 

“All  through  the  hot  season  the  people  went  on 
dying.  The  husbandmen  sold  their  cattle;  they  sold 
their  implements  of  agriculture;  they  devoured  their 
seed  grain;  they  sold  their  sons  and  daughters,  till  at 
length  no  buyer  of  children  could  be  found;  they  ate 
the  leaves  of  the  trees  and  the  grass  of  the  field,  and  in 
June  it  was  reported  that  the  living  were  feeding  on  the 
dead.  Two  years  after  the  dearth,  Warren  Hastings 
made  a journey  through  Bengal,  and  he  states  the  loss 
to  have  been  at  least  one-third  of  the  inhabitants,  or, 
probably,  about  ten  millions  of  people.  Nineteen  years 
later  Lord  Cornwallis  reported  that  one-third  of  Bengal 
was  a jungle  inhabited  only  by  wild  beasts.” 

There  was  also  a terrible  famine  in  Bengal  in  1866, 
when,  it  is  estimated,  one  million  people  perished. 

Rajputana,  always  a dry  and  sandy  country,  without 

4 


DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD  IN  FAMINE  TIME 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


rivers  or  canals,  has  frequently  suffered  from  terrible 
famines.  In  1812-13  Marwar  was  ravaged  by  locusts, 
and  the  annual  rains  failed,  and  immense  numbers 
perished  on  the  field,  or  migrated,  only  to  meet  a like 
fate.  In  1833  not  a drop  of  rain  fell  in  Ajmir.  Again 
in  1847-48  there  was  a famine.  In  1868-70  there  was 
another  great  famine,  which  was  especially  severe  in 
Rajputana.  Of  this  it  is  said:  “Rajputana,  with  its 
area  of  desert  and  its  scanty  water  supply,  was  most 
affected.  It  is  usual  in  time  of  scarcity  for  the  popula- 
tion of  the  more  arid  district  to  migrate  to  the  more  fer- 
tile states,  but  on  this  occasion  all  were  alike  parched 
by  the  drought,  which  was  the  most  calamitous  on 
record.  Thousands  of  the  famine-stricken  poured  into 
British  territory  in  search  of  food,  greatly  aggravating 
the  burden  already  felt  there.  The  famine  of  1868,  in 
Rajputana,  in  severity  surpassed  that  of  1813,  which 
was  the  most  calamitous  of  which  they  had  record.  It 
was  more  severely  felt  in  Marwar,  the  northern  portion 
of  wrhich  was  deserted.”  There  was  no  railway,  and 
there  were  very  few  roads  in  Rajputana  in  those  days, 
and  consequently  no  grain  could  be  brought  in  from 
outside.  Marwar  famine  relief  at  that  time  was  not 
what  it  is  now.  It  is  estimated  that  a million  people 
perished,  or  migrated,  from  Rajputana  alone,  during 
that  year  of  awful  suffering.  The  recent  famines,  follow- 
ing each  other  in  1890-92,  1896-97,  and  1899-1900,  still 

I leave  upon  the  saddened  land  the  marks  of  their  devas- 
tation. Concerning  the  famine  in  Ajmir-Merwara  the 
Report  of  the  Indian  Famine  Commission,  1898,  states: 

“In  1890-92  severe  distress  was  experienced  in  the 
British  districts  of  Ajmir-Merwara,  covering  an  area 
of  2710  square  miles,  and  containing  a population  of 
543,000.  The  adjoining  native  states  were  similarly 

5 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


affected  in  a greater  or  less  degree.  In  the  first  period, 
dating  from  the  deficient  monsoon  rains  of  1890,  and 
the  consequent  failure  of  the  rain  crops  of  1890  and  the 
rabi  of  1891,  distress  was  chiefly  confined  to  the  Todgarh 
subdivision  of  Merwara,  and  to  the  southern  portion  of 
Ajmir,  and  nothing  more  than  moderate  scarcity  pre- 
vailed. But  with  a still  more  pronounced  failure  of  the 
monsoon  of  1891,  and  of  the  kliarif  and  rabi  crops  of 
1 891-92,  distress  became  severe  and  general,  and  was  not 
alleviated  until  the  bounteous  autumn  rains  of  1892 
restored  agriculture  to  its  normal  course.  The  average 
annual  rainfall  of  the  tract  is  small,  being  a little  under 
twenty-one  inches.  In  1890  only  twelve  inches  fell 
in  Ajmir,  and  thirteen  and  one-half  inches  in  Marwar. 
In  1891  the  Ajmir  rainfall  was  only  eight  and  one-half 
inches,  and  that  of  Marwar  ten  and  one-half  inches.  In 
neither  year  did  a sufficiently  heavy  fall  of  rain  occur 
at  any  date  to  fill  the  irrigation  tanks,  on  which  much  of 
the  cultivation  depends.  The  estimates  of  the  four 
harvests  dependent  on  the  rains  of  these  two  years  place 
the  yield  in  the  two  districts  at  about  one-quarter  of 
the  average.  Grass,  fodder,  and  water  also  failed.  Many 
of  the  cattle  were  driven  off  to  more  favored  districts  in 
Meywar,  and  many  died.  The  losses  on  this  account  fell 
even  heavier  on  the  agriculturists  than  the  loss  of  crops, 
and  when  the  monsoon  rains  of  1892  came,  great  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  placing  the  normal  area  under  the 
plough.  In  its  intensity  and  duration  the  drought  of 
1890-92  was  as  great  as  any  of  the  great  droughts  which 
have  visited  this  tract  of  country  in  the  past,  among 
which  the  drought  of  1812-13,  the  drought  of  1847-48, 
and  the  drought  of  1868-70,  are  the  most  memorable.” 

In  the  famine  of  1896-97  the  Bikanir,  Bharatpur,  and 
Dholpur  states  in  Rajputana  were  the  most  affected,  but 

6 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


all  the  states  experienced  short  harvests,  and  in  many 
places,  there  being  no  relief  works,  there  was  much 
distress.  The  famine  of  1899-1900  in  Rajputana,  as  else- 
where, was  the  worst  in  the  memory  of  man.  It  is 
stated  that  there  lives  in  the  Jodhpur  State  an  ascetic, 
one  hundred  and  eight  years  of  age,  who  remembers  the 
great  famine  of  1812,  and  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
destruction  of  cattle  in  the  recent  famine  far  exceeded 
anything  he  has  ever  experienced.  In  the  states  west 
of  the  Aravali  mountains,  Jodhpur  and  Bikanir,  the 
famine  was  especially  severe,  but  it  may  be  said  that  all 
of  Rajasthan  was  smitten  by  this  awful  drought  and  the 
people  were  suffering  for  want  of  water,  crops,  and  fodder. 

In  India  nearly  every  year  'finds  some  place  of  greater 
or  less  extent  in  distress.  It  may  not  amount  t actual 
famine,  but  for  some  reasons  there  have  been  scant 
harvests.  Sometimes  locusts,  at  others  hail,  and  oc- 
casionally too  much  rain,  destroy  the  crops. 

The  following  table,  compiled  by  the  Famine  Com- 
mission, shows  the  frequency  of  drought,  the  area  and 
population  affected,  and  the  maximum  relieved  on  any 
one  day,  from  1884  to  1896. 


Province  affected 

Year  of  the 
famine  or  scarcity 

Area  affected,  in 
square  miles 

Population 

affected 

Maximum  daily 
number  employed 
on  relief  works 

Maximum  daily 
number  relieved 
gratuitously 

Punjab 

Lower  Bengal  

1884 
1 884—85 

970 

472,000 

4,620 

20,800 

Madras 

Central  Provinces  

Behar 

1 884-85 
1886-87 

1888-89 

3.000 

1.000 

42,000 

Orissa  (Tributary  States) 

1889 

100,000 

900 

2,700 

Madras  (Gan jam) 

18S8-89 

2,500 

1,100,000 

21 ,000 

Kumaun  and  Garhwal 

Kamaun  Division  and  Dehra 

Dun  

Madras  

1890 

1892 

1891-92 

22,700 

92.583 

6,961 

Bombay  (Deccan) 

1 891-92 

9.484 

1,467.000 

5,700 

Bengal  and  Behar 

1 891-92 

5.7io 

3,880,000 

77,800 

2,580 

Upper  Burma 

1891-92 

10,000 

800,000 

30,000 

Ajmir-Merwara 

1 890-92 

2,710 

543,000 

33,913 

7 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Concerning  these  famines  the  Report  of  the  Indian 
Famine  Commission,  1898,  states: 

“Of  the  famines  here  described,  the  gravest  were  the 
Ganjam  famine  of  1889  and  the  Madras  famine  of  1890- 
92.  On  these  occasions  the  loss  of  crops  appears  to 
have  been  almost  as  great  as  that  which  occurred  in 
the  same  tracts  in  the  late  famine.  In  the  scarcity 
which  visited  Behar  in  1891-92,  the  crop  failure  in  a 
portion  of  North  Behar  approached,  in  its  complete- 
ness, the  crop  failures  of  1873-74  and  of  1896-97. 
In  none  of  these  cases  was  relief  required  on  anything 
like  the  scale  found  necessary  in  1896-97.  The  ex- 
planation must  be  sought  in  the  unprecedented  rise  in 
prices  which  distinguished  the  late  famine,  and  in  the 
general  paralysis  of  industry  which  so  wide-spread  a 
calamity  occasioned.  The  experiences  of  the  interven- 
ing years  between  1880  and  1896  point  to  the  conclusion 
that  scarcities  occurring  over  limited  areas  while  the  rest 
of  the  Indian  continent  is  prosperous  can  be  success- 
fully dealt  with  by  a very  moderate  expenditure  of 
money  and  without  disturbing  the  ordinary  administra- 
tion.” 

During  the  past  century  there  have  been  two  bad 
seasons  to  every  seven  good  ones  in  India.  The  great 
famines  have  occurred  at  intervals  of  about  twelve 
years.  There  have  been  seven  great  famines  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  affecting  at  least  two  hundred  mill- 
ions of  people.  The  mean  annual  rainfall  for  the  whole 
of  India  is  forty-one  inches,  and  during  the  past  twenty- 
five  years  it  has  ten  times  fallen  below  that.  During 
the  reign  of  Queen  Victoria,  Empress  of  India,  there 
were  at  least  eight  famines  in  India;  concerning  the 
mortality  attending  all  but  the  last,  by  far  the  most 

8 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


destructive  of  all,  Mr.  Robert  Scott,  of  the  Christian , 
London,  has  gathered  from  official  sources  that  “in  the 
famine  of  1837-38,  8,000,000  people  were  affected,  and 
800,000  died.  In  1860-61,  13,000,000  were  affected,  and 
upward  of  x, 000, 000  perished.  In  1863  a quarter  of 
the  population  died  in  some  of  the  districts.  The  total 
deaths  were  enormous ; nearly  the  whole  of  the  laboring 
population  were  swept  away.  In  1866  nearly  1,000,000 
perished.  In  1868-69  1,250,000  persons,  according  to 
the  government  estimate,  died  of  hunger.  In  1876-78 
the  mortality  exceeded  5,250,000.  In  1896-97,  in  June, 
of  the  latter  year,  there  were  no  fewer  than  4,500,000 
persons  in  receipt  of  relief,  and  Lord  George  Hamilton 
stated  at  the  Mansion  House-  that  at  that  date  upward 
of  ten  million  pounds  sterling,  had  been  disbursed  in 
relief;  but  at  a later  date,  when  the  sum  total  wTas 
arrived  at,  it  was  stated  in  the  columns  of  the  T imes  to 
amount  to  the  almost  incredible  sum  of  ninety  million 
pounds  sterling.” 

It  is  difficult  to  give  in  exact  terms  the  extent  and 
ravages  of  the  late  famine,  but  not  less  than  400,000 
miles  of  territory  and  60,000,000  of  people  were  affected, 
and  the  sufferings  and  mortality  were  beyond  the  power 
of  the  human  tongue  to  describe. 

Says  Mr.  Dutt:1  “Within  the  last  forty  years,  within 
the  memory  of  the  present  writer,  there  have  been  ten 
famines  in  India,  and  at  a moderate  computation  the 
loss  of  lives  from  starvation  and  from  diseases  brought 
on  by  these  famines  may  be  estimated  at  fifteen  mill- 
ions within  these  forty  years.  It  is  a melancholy  phe- 
nomenon, which  is  not  presented  in  the  present  day  by 
any  other  country  on  earth  enjoying  a civilized  admin- 
istration.” 


Famines  in  India,  p.  16. 


♦ 


II 

THE  CAUSES  OF  FAMINE 

“ Who  hath  gathered  the  wind  in  His  fists?  Who  hath  bound 
the  waters  in  His  garment?” — Proverbs,  xxx.,  4. 

The  primary  cause  of  famine  in  India  is  the  failure 
of  the  monsoon.  It  is  entirely  beyond  the  control  of 
man.  The  monsoon  is  the  periodical  wind  blowing  off 
the  sea  and  carrying  with  it  over  the  great  plain  the 
water-filled  clouds,  which  drop  their  fruitful  showers  as 
they  fly.  When  this  wind  fails,  or  is  deflected,  at  the 
proper  season,  the  rains  fail,  the  crops  fail;  and  when 
the  crops  fail,  untold  misery  and  death  and  ruin  are  the 
result. 

The  monsoon,  then,  is  India’s  salvation.  The  word 
is  of  Malay  origin,  and  means  “ seasons,”  and  is  thus  ap- 
plied because,  in  tropical  countries,  the  regular  motion 
of  the  trade-winds  is  arrested  by  these  periodical  gales, 
which  blow  from  one  direction  for  one  half  of  the  year 
and  from  the  opposite  during  the  other  half,  the  south- 
west monsoon  prevailing  north  of  the  equator  from 
April  to  October,  and  the  southeast  monsoon  south  of 
the  equator  during  the  same  period,  while  from  Octo- 
ber to  April  the  nortlrwest  monsoon  blows  south  of  the 
equator  and  the  northeast  monsoon  north  of  the  equa- 
tor, the  only  modification  being  that  the  time  of  the 
occurrence  of  the  southwest  and  northwest  monsoons 
is  affected  by  the  distance  from  the  equator.  If  we 
would  seek  for  the  cause  of  the  monsoons  we  must  in- 


10 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


quire  of  the  sun  during  his  apparent  annual  progress 
from  one  tropic  to  the  other.  He  heats  up  India  from 
April  to  June,  until  the  rarefied  atmosphere  arises  in 
haste  and  rushes  out  to  sea,  while  the  moisture-laden 
air  rushes  in  to  take  its  place,  and  so  “watereth  the 
earth,  and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud,  that  it  may- 
give  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the  eater.”  I can- 
not make  it  clearer  than  by  quoting  from  Brocklesby’s 
Meteorology  (pp.  80,  81.): 

‘‘These  stated  rains  originate  in  the  change  of  the 
periodical  winds,  by  which  the  union  of  vast  volumes 
of  air,  differing  in  temperature,  is  rapidly  effected. 
Early  in  the  month  of  June  the  soil  of  the  peninsula 
becomes  intensely  heated  by  the  vertical  rays  of  the 
sun,  and  powerful  currents  of  rarefied  air  then  ascend 
from  the  earth.  To  supply  the  deficiency  thus  created, 
the  warm  and  humid  atmosphere  of  the  equatorial  seas 
flows  in,  constituting  the  southwest  monsoon ; this  wind 
now  mingles  with  the  cool,  dry  air,  which  the  northeast 
monsoon,  for  the  six  previous  months,  has  been  con- 
stantly bringing  to  the  peninsula  from  the  polar  and 
temperate  climes,  and  thus  produces  a combination 
favorable  to  the  precipitation  of  rain  upon  a most  ex- 
tensive scale. 

‘‘The  southwest  monsoon  does  not,  however,  bring 
rain  to  the  whole  of  India.  Parallel  to  the  western 
coast  runs  a chain  of  high  mountains,  termed  the  ghauts; 
here  the  monsoon  is  arrested  in  its  course,  and  most 
of  the  moisture  with  which  it  is  charged  is  precipitated 
ere  it  arrives  at  the  central  table-land  of  Mysore.  On 
the  eastern,  or  Coromandal  coast,  its  influence  is  not  felt, 
and  the  seasons  are  here  reversed.  From  March  till 
June  the  winds  are  hot  and  moist,  blowing  mostly  from 
the  south,  over  the  Bay  of  Bengal ; from  June  to  October 

ii 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  heat  is  very  great,  but  about  the  middle  of  the  latter 
month  the  cool,  northeast  monsoon  commences,  bring- 
ing the  periodical  rains,  which  terminate  by  the  middle 
of  December,  the  monsoon  continuing  to  blow  until  the 
beginning  of  March.” 

As  we  have  seen,  the  famines  in  India,  as  a rule,  have 
been  the  result  of  a failure  of  the  rains  following  the 
failure  of  the  monsoon,  which  is  regulated  by  the  sun. 
All  this  is  beyond  men’s  control.  Here  we  enter  the 
sphere  of  Divine  Providence.  But  famine  is  such  a 
cruel  thing  and  affects  so  many  millions  of  God’s  helpless 
creatures,  many  of  them  innocent,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
reconcile  it  with  the  fatherhood  of  God. 

As  one  has  put  it:  “The  recurrence  of  famine  is  a 
severe  test  of  one’s  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  Divine 
Providence,  as  it  is  generally  presented.  The  problem 
is  not  easy  of  solution.  Epidemics  of  disease  are  doubt- 
less the  result  of  violation  of  sanitary  law.  War  is  the 
outcome  of  human  imperfection  and  limitation.  And 
so  we  may  go  through  the  list  of  physical  evils  which 
afflict  humanity,  and  account  for  them  without  disturb- 
ing the  belief  that  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
the  world  and  the  direction  of  the  forces  of  nature  are 
in  the  hands  of  Almighty  God.  But  we  cannot  affirm 
that  unpropitious  seasons  are  the  result  of  man’s  mis- 
conduct; we  can  only  say  that  the  disastrous  results  of 
bad  seasons  are  aggravated  by  the  indolence  or  neglect 
or  stupidity  or  shiftlessness  of  men.  Perhaps  it  is  true, 
as  some  have  affirmed,  that  Providence  has  supplied 
India  with  abundance  of  all  things  required  for  the 
needs  of  all  her  inhabitants,  and  if  men  would  use  the 
intelligence  God  has  given  them  in  husbanding  and 
utilizing  this  abundance  India  would  have  a famine  in- 
surance which  would  suffice  for  even  such  famines  as 


12 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


that  which  now  prevails.  There  is  no  doubt  that,  in  the 
year  1899,  the  aggregate  rainfall  of  India  was  quite 
sufficient  for  the  whole  land.  The  trouble  is,  it  was  not 
well  distributed.  Chirapunji  had  about  six  hundred 
and  fifty  inches,  the  largest  amount  ever  recorded, 
while  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  peninsula  the  de- 
ficiency of  rain  was  just  as  remarkable.  Perhaps  it  is 
God’s  plan  that  men  should  assist  in  distributing  what 
He  gives,  be  it  water  or  food,  or  any  other  good  thing 
He  has  provided  for  men.  If  we  take  this  view  of  the 
case,  the  difficulty  in  regard  to  Providential  control  dis- 
appears. Yet  we,  in  the  impatience  of  our  own  limita- 
tions, cannot  help  asking  why  some  of  the  floods  of  rain 
which  devastated  Assam  could  not  have  been  sent  to 
the  other  side  of  the  peninsula.  Did  the  machinery 
break  down?  Or  is  the  disaster  a necessary  condition 
of  the  limitations  which  inhere  in  all  things  finite.” 

The  machinery  did  not  break  down.  God  is  back  of 
His  laws.  Famine  is  the  result  of  law.  Law  is  eternal; 
and  He  who  is  working  out  eternal  principles,  who 
permitted  sin,  and  death,  and  pestilence,  and  plague, 
and  storm,  and  flood  to  enter  and  remain  in  the  world, 
■will  in  the  end  bring  to  the  greatest  number  the  greatest 
good  by  permitting  a famine  to  occur.  Man  needs  such 
examples  of  the  Power  above,  of  his  own  helplessness, 
and  such  calamities  arouse  the  benevolence  and  charity 
and  unselfishness,  and  call  out  the  ingenuity  and  pru- 
dence and  skill  and  effort  of  man  in  endeavors  to  mitigate 
and  overcome  the  evil.  A theory  has  been  adduced 
that  famines  are  caused  by  a deficiency  of  sun-spots,  or 
that,  at  least,  the  recurring  famines  always  fall  upon 
years  either  immediately  succeeding,  or  in  close  proxim- 
ity to,  the  time  of  minimum  sun-spots.  This  may  be 
fanciful,  but  Dr.  W.  W.  Hunter  pointed  out,  about  the 
year  1877,  from  data  gathered  in  the  Madras  Presidency, 

13 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


that  the  years  i8ii,  1824,  1833,  1854,  1866,  and  1877 
were  famine  years,  and  that  the  minimum  sun-spot 
occurred  in  1810,  1823,  1832,  1856,  1867,  and  1878. 
From  the  fact  that  from  the  year  1813  to  1876  the 
average  rainfall  in  Madras  was  48.51  inches,  and  that 
during  the  famine  years  the  fall  was  far  below  this,  and 
from  the  association  of  the  rainfall  and  the  sun-spots 
between  these  years,  it  may  be  concluded  that  “the 
minimum  period  in  the  cycle  of  sun-spots  has  been  a 
period  of  regularly  recurring  and  strongly  marked 
drought  in  south  India.” 

But  famine  cannot  all  be  blamed  upon  the  monsoon 
or  upon  the  sun.  There  are  conditions  in  India  which 
are  favorable  to  famine.  India  is  a poor  country.  It  is 
inhabited  by  a race  of  agriculturists,  who  are  dependent 
upon  their  crops,  which  in  good  years  are  barely  suf- 
ficient to  feed  them.  It  has  been  estimated  by  Sir 
Arthur  Colton  that  two  acres  of  rice -land  will  feed 
seven  people  for  a year.  A family  of  five  can  live  on 
less  than  six  pounds  of  grain  per  diem.  The  fact  is, 
very  many  live  on  very  much  less  than  a pound  a day. 
In  India  the  farmers — i.e.,  the  masses  of  the  people — 
have  no  surplus.  They  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  with 
but  very  little  in  their  hand.  So  that  the  conclusion  has 
been  reached  that  “ food  at  three  times  its  ordinary  price, 
at  a season  when  some  months  must  elapse  without  re- 
lief, means  famine  in  the  greatest  majority  of  cases, 
while  in  some  cases  famine  comes  long  before  that  rate 
is  reached.  When  the  rate  rises  to  four  times  the 
ordinary  standard,  it  is  probably  accompanied  by 
famine  of  a very  severe  description.”  Millions  of 
people  are  living  just  on  the  border-land  of  famine. 
Sir  William  Hunter  has  estimated  their  number  at 
forty  millions,  and,  indeed,  it  has  been  confidently 

14 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


stated  that  “at  least  over  a hundred  millions  of 
the  population  of  India  scarcely  ever  know,  from 
year’s  end  to  year’s  end,  what  it  is  to  have  a satis- 
fying meal,  and  that  it  is  the  rule,  and  not  the  ex- 
ception, for  them  to  retire  to  rest,  night  after  night, 
hungry  and  faint  for  want  of  sufficient  and  suitable 
food.”  Commissioner  Booth  Tucker,  who  was  a magis- 
trate in  India  for  a number  of  years,  after  dividing  the 
lower  stratum  of  society  into  twenty-five  millions  of 
poverty-stricken,  laboring  classes,  earning  less  than  five 
rupees  a month  for  the  support  of  their  families,  and 
twenty-five  millions  destitute  and  unemployed  poor, 
who  earn  nothing  at  all,  and  who  are  dependent  for 
their  livelihood  on  the  charity  of  others,  says  of  them : 1 

“Besides  the  25,000,000  who  constitute  the  actual 
destitute  and  criminal  population,  we  estimate  that,  at 
a very  low  computation,  there  are  25,000,000  who  are 
on  the  border-land,  who  are  scarcely  ever  in  a position 
to  properly  obtain  for  themselves  and  for  their  families 
the  barest  necessities  of  existence.  I do  not  say  that 
they  are  wholly  submerged,  but  they  pass  a sort  of 
amphibious  existence,  being  part  of  the  time  under 
water  and  part  of  the  time  on  land,  some  part  of  their 
life  being  spent  in  the  most  abject  poverty,  and  some 
part  of  it  in  absolute  starvation — positively  for  the 
time  submerged,  and  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  last- 
ingly engulfed.  These  are  the  classes  whose  income 
never  rises  above  five  rupees  ($1.66)  a month,  while 
more  frequently  it  is  under  four  rupees.” 

Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn,  who  has  spent  more  than 
forty  years  travelling  over  all  parts  of  India,  says:2 

1 Darkest  India,  p.  43.  2 India  and  Malaysia,  p.  35, 

15 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


“ In  most  parts  of  the  country,  at  least  outside  the 
large  cities  and  towns,  a man  will  work  faithfully  for 
wages  not  exceeding  five  or  six  cents  a day,  and  on  this 
pitiful  sum  he  probably  has  to  support  a wife  and  from 
two  to  six  children.  To  his  credit,  let  it  be  said,  he 
always  does  it  without  grumbling.  The  people  of  India, 
indeed,  are  among  the  most  patient  creatures  to  be 
found  in  the  world.  Dr.  Hunter,  who  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  best-informed  authorities  on  Indian  sub- 
jects, affirms  that  there  are  more  than  forty  millions  of 
people  in  India  who  habitually  live  on  insufficient  food. 
I should  be  inclined  to  put  the  number  much  higher; 
but,  leaving  it  at  forty  millions,  it  is  a startling  and, 
indeed,  awful  statement  to  make,  and  one  which  makes 
us  think  seriously  about  the  present  condition  of  our 
race.  So  far  as  my  own  observation  has  extended  in 
India,  I have  been  led  to  believe  that  not  more  than 
half  of  the  people  ever  eat  to  repletion,  but  that,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  provide  two  meals  each  day  as 
well  as  they  are  able,  and  content  themselves  with  such 
food  as  they  can  procure,  whether  it  be  absolutely 
sufficient  or  not. 

“They  spend  very  little  in  clothing,  and  literally  live 
from  hand  to  mouth  the  whole  year  round,  so  that  their 
life  is  one  long  struggle  against  absolute  want.’’ 

One  of  the  saddest  things  in  India  at  any  time  is  the 
poverty  and  helplessness  of  the  cultivating  classes. 
They  never  seem  to  be  able  to  save  anything,  nor  do 
they  seem  to  make  much  effort  to  do  so.  Many  cen- 
turies of  oppression  and  wrong  have  taken  hope  and 
courage  out  of  them.  Frugality  and  thrift  are  to  them 
almost  unknown.  They  seem  to  have  no  power  to  plan 
for  the  future.  If  nature  is  propitious  they  get  a living, 
which  is  the  end  at  which  they  aim,  and  if  the  monsoon 

16 


WAITING  FOR  FOOD 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


fails  they  inevitably  fail  with  it.  They  live  on  less 
than  three  cents  a day,  and  if  they  can  get  together  two 
cents  in  the  worst  of  times  they  will  never  go  on  relief 
works.  They  are  quiet,  uncomplaining,  local,  and  domes- 
tic in  their  habits,  and  as  long  as  they  have  a home 
they  will  never  leave  it.  It  is  only  when  the  thatch 
roof  is  fed  to  the  cattle,  or  burned  for  fuel,  and  the 
cattle  and  their  owners  in  extremities,  that  they  gather 
up  what  little  is  left  and  go  in  search  of  food.  And  even 
then  they  do  not  always  get  it. 

Many  of  them  die  on  the  road.  They  travel  in  the 
wrong  direction,  and  never  come  to  a land  of  plenty. 
If  they  arrive  at  relief  works,  they  are  too  weak  to 
work.  There  is,  therefore,  no  bulwark  against  a bad 
year.  The  farmer  has  no  “staying  power.”  A rainless 
summer  gives  him  “ cleanness  of  teeth.” 

The  general  conclusion  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
people  of  India,  arrived  at  by  the  Famine  Commission 
of  1898,1  was  that  while  of  late  years  the  condition  of 
the  land-holding  and  cultivating  classes  and  of  skilled 
artisans,  except  weavers,  has  improved,  yet  “beyond 
these  classes  there  always  has  existed,  and  there  still 
does  exist,  a lower  section  of  the  community  living  a 
hand-to-mouth  existence,  with  a low  standard  of  com- 
fort, and  abnormally  sensitive  to  the  effects  of  inferior 
harvests  and  calamities  of  season.  This  section  is  very 
large,  and  includes  the  great  class  of  day-laborers  and 
the  least  skilled  of  the  artisans.  So  far  as  we  have  been 
able  to  form  a general  opinion  upon  a difficult  question, 
from  the  evidence  we  have  heard  and  the  statistics 
placed  before  us,  the  wages  of  these  people  have  not 
risen  in  the  last  twenty  years  in  due  proportion  to  the 
rise  in  prices  of  their  necessaries  of  life.  The  experience 


* Famine  Report,  p.  363. 

17 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


of  the  recent  famine  fails  to  suggest  that  this  section 
of  the  community  has  shown  any  larger  command  of 
resources  or  any  increased  power  of  resistance.  Far 
from  contracting,  it  seems  to  be  gradually  widening, 
particularly  in  the  more  congested  districts.  Its  sensi- 
tiveness or  liability  to  succumb,  is  possibly  becoming 
more  accentuated,  instead  of  diminishing,  as  larger  and 
more  powerful  forces  supervene  and  make  their  effects 
felt  where  formerly  the  result  was  determined  by  purely 
local  conditions. 

We  may  take  this  opportunity  of  remarking  that  the 
evidence  given  before  us  by  many  witnesses  proved  that 
in  times  of  scarcity  and  famine  in  India,  the  rise  in  price 
of  food  is  not  accompanied  by  a rise  in  the  wages  of 
labor;  on  the  contrary,  owing  to  competition  for  the 
little  employment  available,  when  agricultural  employ- 
ment falls  off  the  rate  of  wages  offered  and  accepted  is 
frequently  below  the  ordinary  or  customary  rate.  Such 
wages,  in  times  of  famine  prices,  are  not  subsistence 
wages  for  a laborer  with  dependants  to  support.  This 
explains  and  justifies  the  practice  which  able-bodied 
laborers  often  adopt  of  taking  what  private  employment 
they  can  get  at  their  homes  or  elsewhere,  and  sending 
their  wives  and  children  to  the  relief  works.  The  fact 
also  indicates  that  a practical  difficulty  in  the  way  of  the 
working  of  a principle  was  that  remuneration  on  relief 
works  should  be  always  fixed  so  as  not  to  attract  labor 
for  which  there  is  existing  employment  elsewhere.  But 
if  the  wage  for  such  employment  is  not  a living  wage 
for  the  ordinary  laborer  with  a family,  the  wage  the 
family  can  earn  on  relief  works  must  necessarily  be 
higher. 

The  fact  is,  the  average  cultivator  is  in  debt.  He  can- 
not lay  by  enough  in  the  good  years  to  tide  him  over 
the  bad  ones  and  pay  his  landlord  (the  government) 

18 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


his  revenue.  Hence  he  must  borrow.  And  the  money- 
lender is  at  hand.  He  lets  the  cultivator  have  money, 
at  an  exorbitant  interest,  with  which  to  pay  the  revenue, 
and  takes  a mortgage  on  the  land  as  security,  with  this 
lamentable  result,  that  the  ryot  becomes  poorer  and 
poorer  and  is  inextricably  entangled  in  the  net  of  the 
avaricious  and  unmerciful  bunya  or  money-lender.  In 
famine  times  he  goes  to  the  wall.  Here,  then,  we  find 
a serious  condition  of  things.  Government  demands, 
in  most  places,  a fixed  revenue  from  the  cultivators. 
The  cultivators,  being  unable  to  pay,  borrow  of  the 
money-lenders,  and  find  themselves  hopelessly  involved. 
Under  these  conditions  it  does  not  require  a very  un- 
friendly monsoon  or  a great  deficiency  of  sun-spots  to 
ruin  them  and  enrich  the  Eastern  confidence  man — the 
bunya. 

The  late  Dr.  Carey,  founder  of  the  Agricultural  Society 
of  Bengal,  says:1 

“An  independent  husbandman,  free  from  debt  and 
looking  forward  with  delight  to  the  whole  of  his  little 
crop  as  his  own,  is  almost  a phenomenon  in  the  country. 
Most  of  them,  through  the  wretched  system  which  now 
prevails  among  them,  are  in  debt  perhaps  for  the  seed 
they  sow,  are  supplied  with  food  by  their  creditors  dur- 
ing all  the  labors  of  the  field,  and  look  forward  to  the 
end  of  the  harvest  for  the  payment  of  a debt,  to  which 
at  least  forty  per  cent,  is  added,  and  which,  through  the 
way  in  which  it  is  exacted,  is  often  increased  to  fifty 
per  cent. 

“We  have  known  many  instances  in  which  the  crops 
of  two  succeeding  years  have  been  pledged  before  a 
single  clod  of  earth  has  been  turned  up,  and  this  not  in 


1 Debt  and  the  Right  Use  o f>  Money,  p.  4. 

19 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 

the  case  of  a solitary  farmer,  but  of  the  greater  part  of 
the  district.” 

Even  the  Indian  government  has  felt  the  power  of 
the  money-lender,  for  at  one  time  it  was  officially  stated 
that  “ His  Lordship  in  Council  entertains  no  doubt  of 
the  fact  that  the  laboring  classes  of  the  native  community 
suffer  enormous  injustice  from  want  of  protection  by 
law  from  the  extortionate  practices  of  money-lenders. 
He  believes  that  our  civil  courts  have  become  hateful 
to  the  mass  of  our  Indian  subjects  from  being  made  the 
instruments  of  the  almost  incredible  rapacity  of  usurious 
capitalists.  Nothing  can  be  more  calculated  to  give 
rise  to  wide-spread  discontent  and  disaffection  to  the 
British  government  than  the  practical  working  of  the 
present  law.” 

As  one  has  said:1  “ Shy  lock  flourishes  in  India  as 
perhaps  in  no  other  country  under  the  sun.  His  name 
is  legion.  He  is  ubiquitous.  He  has  the  usual  abnor- 
mal appetite  of  his  fraternity  for  rupees.  But,  strange 
to  say,  he  fattens  upon  poverty  and  grows  rich  upon 
the  destitute.  Whereas  in  other  regions  he  usually 
concentrates  his  attention  upon  the  rich  and  well-to-do 
classes,  here  he  especially  marks  out  for  his  prey  those 
who,  if  not  absolutely  destitute,  live  upon  the  bor- 
der-land of  that  desolate  desert,  and  make  up  by  their 
numbers  for  what  they  may  lack  in  quality.  He  gives 
loans  for  the  smallest  amount,  from  a rupee  and  up- 
ward, charging  at  the  rate  of  half  an  anna  per  month 
interest  for  each  rupee,  which  amount  to  nearly  thirty - 
eight  per  cent,  per  annum. 

“ As  for  payment,  he  is  willing  to  wait.  Every  three 


1 Darkest  India,  p.  24. 


20 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


years  a fresh  bond  is  drawn  up,  including  principal 
and  interest.  Finally,  when  the  amount  has  been 
sufficiently  run  up,  whatever  land,  house,  buffalo,  or 
other  petty  possessions  belong  to  the  debtor  are  sold, 
usually  far  below  their  real  value.  I remember  one 
case  which  came  before  me  when  I was  in  government 
service,  where  the  facts  were  practically  undisputed,  in 
which  a cultivator  was  sued  for  900  rupees,  principal 
and  interest,  the  original  debt  being  only  ten  rupees’ 
worth  of  grain,  borrowed  a few  years  previously.  Ul- 
timately it  was  compromised  for  about  1 00  rupees.  This 
is  by  no  means  an  exceptional  case.” 

Of  course,  the  Indian  ryot  is  often  improvident  and 
extravagant.  He  is  not  very  prudent  and  far-seeing. 
He  lives  his  simple  life,  getting  what  little  enjoyment 
he  has  out  of  present  environments.  Social  customs 
and  religion  require  him  to  spend  a good  deal  of  money 
on  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  and  at  the  funeral  of 
his  father.  Says  an  Indian  writer:1 

‘‘We  heard  the  other  day  of  the  sum  of  15,000  rupees 
having  been  set  aside  by  the  parents  to  be  expended 
on  the  marriage  festival  of  their  son.  Even  the  poorer 
classes  in  India  are  given  to  such  reckless  expenditure, 
and  we  know  of  several  families  who  have  been  ruined 
forever  by  a hopeless  contraction  of  debts  from  those 
veritable  Shylocks,  the  sowcars,  or  money-lenders. 

“And  yet,  strange  to  say,  these  are  the  very  people 
who  are  so  fond  of  money,  and  do  even  the  most  menial 
service  to  add  something  to  their  purse.” 

Funerals  are  almost  as  expensive.  In  some  places 


1 Debt  and  the  Right  Use  of  Money,  p.  6. 


21 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  average  cost  of  the  funeral  ceremony  for  an  old 
member  of  a Hindu  family  is  500  rupees.  Men  have 
been  known  to  give  their  land  and  then  sell  themselves 
to  the  money-lender  in  order  to  get  money  for  marriage 
expenses.  In  many  places  the  Hindus  murdered  their 
infant  daughters  in  order  to  avoid  these  ruinous  charges. 
Besides  this,  there  are  countless  other  religious  and  social 
ceremonies  which  must  be  observed.  The  Hindu  attends 
religious  festivals  and  travels  many  miles  to  visit  shrines. 
He  gives  to  his  priests  and  makes  offerings  to  his  gods. 
As  a rule,  nature  is  kind  to  him.  It  has  provided  him 
with  a wonderful  soil,  which  ordinarily  produces,  with  a 
minimum  of  toil,  two  and  three  crops  a year.  But  he 
is  a slovenly  and  unscientific  cultivator,  and  his  land  is 
deteriorating.  In  the  light  of  all  these  facts  it  is  plain 
that  the  people  of  India  are  in  a state  of  unpreparedness 
for  famine.  It  is  plain,  too,  that  not  only  nature,  but 
man  also,  has  much  to  do  with  bringing  about  famines 
in  India.  Nature  initiates,  and  man  is  in  no  condition 
to  withstand  or  endure  their  ravages.  In  summarizing 
the  human  part,  among  the  things  which  make  for 
famine  in  India  are  lack  of  thrift,  a fixed  and  sometimes 
excessive  land  revenue,  the  extortion  of  bunyas  and 
money-lenders,  over-population  in  some  places,  and 
failure  to  develop  the  industrial  resources  of  the  country. 


Ill 


PREVENTION  OF  FAMINE 

“Our  remedies  oft  in  ourselves  do  lie, 

Which  we  ascribe  to  Heaven." — Shakespeare. 

It  is  easy  to  theorize  as  to  the  best  way  of  preventing 
the  recurrence  of  famines. ' While  it  is  doubtful  if  they 
can  ever  be  entirely  prevented,  for  certainly  the  natural 
laws  will  continue  in  operation  and  the  meteorological 
changes  recur,  yet  there  are  many  things  which  can  be 
done  to  lessen  their  severity  and  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  people.  They  can  be  taught  more 
thrifty  and  frugal  habits;  excessive  population  can  be 
avoided  by  encouraging  emigration  to  other  less  populat- 
ed parts ; 1 revenue  can  be  remitted,  reduced,  or  suspended ; 
a legal  interest  can  be  fixed,  thus  preventing  exorbitant 
usury;  alienation  of  landed  property  may  be,  except 
under  certain  conditions,  disallowed;  industries  can  be 
encouraged ; and,  above  all,  railways  and  canals  may  be 
greatly  extended.  The  usefulness  of  the  former  has 
been  proved  in  famine  times  by  the  rapid  transporta- 
tion of  food  into  the  affected  parts.  The  Famine  Com- 
mission of  1898  thus  pointed  out  the  utility  of  railways:2 

“ It  is  clear  that  the  very  marked  tendency  to  equaliza- 
tion of  prices  throughout  India  is  due  to  the  great  ex- 

1 The  average  density  of  population  is  184  to  the  square  mile,  the 
same  as  France,  but  in  some  parts  there  are  934  to  the  square  mile. 

* Indian  Famine  Commission,  1898,  p.  359. 

23 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


tension  of  railways  and  to  the  opening  up  of  large  tracts 
of  country  formerly  provided  with  inadequate  means  of 
communication.  On  almost  all  the  railways  in  India 
the  sanctioned  rates  for  grain  freight  vary  from  one- 
third  to  one-tenth  pie  per  maund  per  mile,  though  on 
two  lines  the  permissible  maximum  is  .44  pie  per  maund 
per  mile.  Within  these  limits,  the  actual  charges  are 
at  the  discretion  of  the  railway  administration,  and 
generally  vary  according  to  distance.  We  have  ascer- 
tained that  during  the  famine  special  rates  for  grain 
freight  were  sanctioned  on  all  lines,  the  percentage  of 
reduction  varying  considerbly  on  different  lines  and  on 
different  lengths  of  the  same  line.  The  maximum  per- 
centage of  reduction  appears  to  have  been  sixty  per 
cent.  From  the  information  before  us  as  to  the  rates 
actually  charged  during  the  late  famine,  we  infer  that 
in  future  famines  the  rate  for  the  carriage  of  grain  by 
rail  may  be  estimated  at  about  one  and  one-quarter 
annas  per  maund  per  one  hundred  miles  for  distances 
not  exceeding  five  hundred  miles,  at  one  anna  per 
maund  for  distances  exceeding  one  thousand  miles,  and 
at  about  one  and  one-eighth  annas  for  distances  be- 
tween five  hundred  and  one  thousand  miles.  In 
1880,  according  to  the  Famine  Commissioners,  the 
charge  for  transport  between  the  most  distant  parts 
of  India  connected  by  rail,  was  about  one  anna  per  seer ; 
and  grain  could  be  bought  costing  twenty-four  seers  per 
rupee  in  northern  India,  and  sold,  with  fair  profit,  in 
southern  India  at  eight  seers  the  rupee.  At  the  pres- 
ent time,  grain  would  be  carried  one  thousand  miles 
for  a little  over  ten  annas  per  maund  of  forty  seers; 
and  wheat,  selling  in  the  Punjab  at  twelve  seers 
the  rupee,  could,  if  on  the  line  of  rail,  be  placed 
one  thousand  miles  off  and  sold  at  ten  seers  the  ru- 
pee.” 


24 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 

We  know  the  usefulness  of  canals.1  The  Greek  Megas- 
thenes,  300  years  b.c.,  found  about  Patna  “the  whole 
country  under  irrigation.”  The  great  Akbar,  in  1568, 
commanded  his  son  to  build  a canal,  so  that  “ this  jungle, 
in  which  subsistence  is  obtained  with  thirst,  be  con- 
verted into  a place  of  comfort  free  from  evil  ’ ’ ; and  the 
canal  exists  to-day,  as  a monument  to  the  great  em- 
peror’s statesmanship  and  engineering  skill.  The  total 
amount  expended  by  the  British  government  on  canals 
for  irrigation  and  navigation  in  India  up  to  the  year 
1897  was  £37,000,000.  About  fifty  years  ago  the  late 
General  Sir  Arthur  Cotton  and  his  coadjutors  executed 
magnificent  canals  in  connection  with  the  great  rivers 
of  the  Madras  Presidency — the  Godavari,  the  Kistna, 
and  the  Cauvery,  which  give  an  ever-increasing  revenue 
as  well  as  prosperity  to  the  people.  Concerning  the 
magnificent  Ganges  Canal  it  has  been  stated:2 

“In  1837-38  there  was  a terrible  famine  in  north 
India.  The  peasants,  for  years  afterwards,  employed 
it  as  an  era  by  which  to  calculate  their  ages.  This  led 
government  to  commence,  in  1842,  the  Ganges  Canal, 
which  in  its  earliest  form  was  opened  in  1854.  In  1866  a 
continuation  of  the  main  line  to  Allahabad,  known  as  the 
Lower  Ganges  Canal,  was  recommended.  The  Upper 
Canal  takes  away  about  half  the  water  of  the  Ganges, 
near  Hardwar,  and  distributes  over  the  upper  part  of  the 
country  between  the  two  rivers.  It  rejoins  the  Ganges 
at  Cawnpore.  The  Lower  Ganges  Canal  is  a southward 
extension  of  the  Ganges  Canal,  with  which  it  has  direct 
communication.  The  head-works  draw  their  supply 
from  the  river  near  Raj  ghat,  and  the  canal  waters  the 

1 There  are  now  about  twenty-five  thousand  miles  of  railways  and 
fifteen  thousand  miles  of  navigable  canals  in  India. 

2 Tour  Round  India,  p.  34. 


25 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


lower  part  of  the  Doab.  The  two  canals  have  1000 
miles  of  main  channels  and  4400  miles  of  distributaries. 
The  annual  value  of  the  crops  irrigated  by  them  is 
estimated  at  four  crores  of  rupees.  When  the  country 
beyond  their  range  has  been  like  a desert,  the  portions 
watered  have  borne  luxuriant  crops.  They  are  the 
greatest  irrigation  works  in  the  world.”1 

It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  any  one  enterprise 
will  avail  completely,  but  all  can  be  conjointly  used 
to  the  bettering  of  the  condition  of  the  vast  population. 
To  show  how  opinions  differ  on  the  subject  of  prevention 
of  famine,  it  may  be  stated  that  only  recently  it  has 
been  pointed  out  that:2 3 

“ Desirable  as  it  is  that  irrigation  should  be  extended 
wherever  practicable  and  remunerative,  such  extension 
would  never  solve  the  famine  problem.  The  real  remedy 
lies  in  the  introduction  of  foreign  capital,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  material  resources  of  the  country,  and  the 
removal  of  the  surplus  population  from  the  overcrowded 
occupation  of  agriculture.  The  viceroy  has  shown  a 
practical  sympathy  with  new  industries  in  India,  but 
conditions  will  never  be  wholly  and  completely  favorable 
as  long  as  any  attempt  is  made  to  control  business 
affairs,  at  any  stage,  on  official  lines.” 

The  author  of  a recent  book  on  Famines  and  Land 
Assessment  in  India 3 seeks  to  show  that  “ the  resource- 
less condition  and  the  chronic  poverty  of  the  cultiva- 


1 The  acreage  irrigated  by  government  irrigation  works  on  the 
31st  of  March,  1900,  was  13,430,841,  for  the  whole  of  India. 

2 Famine  Facts  and  Fallacies,  by  J.  D.  Rees,  C.I.E. 

3 Famines  and  Land  Assessment,  by  Romesh  Dutt,  C.I.E.,  vol. 
xiv.,  pp.  16,  17. 


26 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


tors”  are  due  to  over-assessment  of  the  soil  on  the  part 
of  the  government.  He  says:  “The  land  is  fertile,  the 
people  are  peaceful  and  loyal,  and  generations  of  British 
administrators  have  been  trained  in  the  duties  of  Indian 
administration.  And  yet  famines  have  not  disappeared. 
The  immediate  cause  of  famines  in  almost  every  instance 
is  the  failure  of  rains,  and  this  cause  will  continue  to 
operate  until  we  have  a more  extensive  system  of 
irrigation  than  has  yet  been  provided.  But  the  in- 
tensity and  frequency  of  recent  famines  are  greatly  due 
to  the  resourceless  condition  and  the  chronic  poverty  of 
the  cultivators,  caused  by  the  over-assessment  of  the 
soil  on  which  they  depend  for  their  living.” 

He  goes  on  to  say  that  “We  have  no  wars  within  the 
natural  frontiers  of  India  now,  but  peace  has  not 
brought  with  it  a reduction  in  the  public  expenditure 
or  in  the  public  debt.  India,”  he  says,  “maintains  the 
most  expensive  foreign  government  on  earth,  and  one- 
third  or  one-half  of  the  net  revenues  of  India  is  sent  out 
of  India  every  year,  instead  of  being  spent  in  the  coun- 
try to  fructify  her  industry  and  trades.  Land  revenue 
is  the  most  important  item  of  the  Indian  revenues,  and 
so  it  happens  that  the  taxation  falls  heavily  on  the 
cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  reduces  them  to  a state  of 
chronic  poverty.  They  can  save  nothing  in  years  of 
good  harvest,  and  consequently  every  year  of  drought 
is  a year  of  famine.”  He  therefore  maintains,  and 
endeavors  to  prove  by  elaborate  arguments,  that  the 
intensity  and  disastrous  effect  of  famines  “can  be  to  a 
great  extent  mitigated  by  moderating  the  land-tax, 
by  the  construction  of  irrigation  works,  and  by  the 
reduction  of  public  debt  and  the  expenditure  of  India.” 


IV 


THE  GREAT  FAMINE 

“And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the  land.” — Genesis,  xliii.,  i. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  famine  through  which 
India  passed  in  1899-1900  is  the  most  severe  on  record, 
or,  perhaps,  the  greatest  drought  in  the  world.  The 
official  report  of  the  famine  of  1896-97  states  that1 
“the  famine  affected  an  area  of  about  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  square  miles  in  British  India, 
and  a population  of  sixty -two  millions.  The  area, 
which  was  severely  affected,  and  to  which  relief  opera- 
tions were  chiefly  confined,  may  be  put  roughly  at 
one  hundred  and  twenty -five  thousand  square  miles, 
with  a population  of  thirty-four  millions.  In  the  direct 
relief  of  distress,  apart  from  loans  and  advances  to  land- 
holders and  cultivators  and  remissions  of  land  revenue, 
727  lakhs  of  rupees  (Rs.  7,270,000)  were  expended  by 
the  state.  Relief  was  thus  given  to  821,000,000  of 
persons,  at  an  average  cost  of  1.42  annas  a day  for  each 
person  relieved.  This  is  equivalent  to  an  average  of 
2,220,000  persons  relieved  day  by  day  for  the  space  of 
one  year,  at  the  rate  of  Rs.  32.7  per  head  per  annum. 
It  was  the  opinion  of  the  Famine  Commission,  judging 
by  the  experience  of  the  past,  that  the  largest  population 
likely  to  be  severely  affected  by  any  future  famine  in 
British  India  might  be  put  at  about  thirty  millions, 


1 Famine  Commission,  1898,  p.  196. 
28 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


that  the  average  number  of  persons  in  such  a famine 
likely  to  require  relief  continuously  for  one  year  might 
be  put  at  from  two  to  two  and  a half  millions,  and  that 
the  average  cost  of  such  relief  would  be  about  Rs.  50  a 
head  a year.” 

India  covers  1,574,450  square  miles,  and  has  a popu- 
lation of  290,000,000.  The  famine  area  of  1899-1900 
covered  more  than  four  hundred  thousand  square 
miles,  and  affected  quite  sixty  millions  of  people,  or 
more  than  one-fifth  of  the  entire  population.  It  has 
cost  the  government  the  enormous  sum  of  ten  crores  of 
rupees,  besides  advances  made  to  landholders  and  cul- 
tivators, and  there  must  be  added  to  that  the  amount 
contributed  by  private  charity.1  As  will  be  seen  from 
a study  of  the  accompanying  map,  it  embraced  all  the 
central  and  western  parts  of  India,  from  Hyderabad 
to  Lahore  and  from  Jabalpur  to  Kathiawar.  Begin- 
ning in  the  Deccan,  all  the  fair  southland  was  more 
or  less  smitten.  It  commenced  with  the  failure  of  the 
monsoon  in  1899.  In  March,  1900,  when  the  worst 
had  not  been  reached,  a visitor  wrote : 

“ The  barren  lands  of  the  Deccan,  none  too  rich  at  best 
of  times,  are  fast  being  turned  into  tracts  of  dismal,  sun- 
cracked,  desert -chirred  earth,  whose  friable  edges  are 
caught  by  the  wind  and  sent  flying  in  clouds  of  pungent 
dust.  No  water  in  the  wells;  no  water  in  the  rivers. 
This  is  the  report  that  comes  in  from  the  districts,  and 
you  can  easily  test  it  for  yourself.  . . . The  central  hor- 
ror of  this  famine  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  misery  and 
torment  of  a water  famine  have  to  be  endured,  together 
with  a famine  of  food  for  people  and  fodder  for  beasts.” 


Report  of  Viceroy  to  Legislative  Council,  October,  1900. 
29 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


The  same  writer1  goes  on  to  say: 

“ During  the  last  few  days  I have  met  scores  of  fam- 
ily parties  on  tramp  to  the  works,  the  mother  carrying 
the  latest  born  in  a basket  on  her  head  and  the  last  but 
one  in  her  arms  or  on  her  back,  and  the  father  and 
elder  children  dividing  the  burden  of  family  goods, 
which  generally  consist  of  a few  pots,  a bundle  in  a 
blanket,  and  perhaps  the  hand-mill  for  grinding.  A 
woman  came  marching  into  a camp  in  Khandesh  the 
other  day  with  two  babies  in  the  basket  on  her  head, 
one  in  each  arm,  and  another  couple  clutching  at  her 
sari.  It  is  sad  to  see  these  groups  of  refugees  pacing 
the  burning  dust,  with  lips  and  throats  too  parched  for 
speech,  their  garments  often  in  shreds  and  their  eyes 
hollow  with  hunger.  The  Indian  in  these  parts  never 
seems  to  be  sorry  for  himself  or  to  look  for  sympathy 
from  others.” 

Coming  farther  north,  the  whole  of  the  Central 
Provinces  were  overwhelmed  by  it.  When  the  famine 
was  at  its  worst,  in  August,  nearly  two  and  a half  millions 
of  people  were  on  relief  works,  or  about  a fourth  of  the 
population.  All  that  part  of  the  Central  Provinces  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  Deccan,  between  the  Ner- 
budda  and  the  Godavari,  was  dried  up.  Much  of  these 
provinces  is  composed  of  jungle -covered  hills,  where 
dwell  many  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  that  were  pressed 
back  by  the  incursions  of  the  Aryan  immigrants.  But 
where  their  ancient  enemies,  the  Hindus,  could  not 
come,  a more  implacable  foe,  the  famine,  had  found  them 
out,  and  the  people  were  living  on  the  roots,  seeds,  bark, 
and  leaves  of  trees.  The  Gonds,  Kurus,  and  Bhils  are 


1 Mr.  Vangham  Nash,  in  The  Great  Famine,  pp.  12,  14. 
30 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


a hardy  people,  but  it  was  not  much  food  they  could 
get  out  of  the  young  leaves  of  the  pipal-tree  or  the  roasted 
kernel  of  mango  stones.  Jabalpur,  Bilaspur,  Raipur, 
and  Hurda  languished  under  the  awful  drought.  In 
every  village  there  was  “cleanness  of  teeth.’’  In  May, 
out  of  a population  of  ten  and  three-quarter  millions  in 
the  districts  affected,  close  upon  a million  and  three- 
quarters  were  on  government  relief.  Later  on  the 
numbers  had  advanced  to  two  millions  and  a half.  In 
Raipur,  the  great  rice -growing  district,  six  hundred 
thousand,  or  forty  per  cent,  of  the  people,  were  on  relief ; 
and  at  Bilaspur,  the  neighboring  division,  a quarter  of  a 
million. 

Cholera,  of  course,  added  its  horrors  to  the  rest. 
Even  when  there  was  food  for  the  people,  they  could  not 
be  restrained  from  using  contaminated  water.  A visitor 
to  the  famine  camp  at  Tamerni,  in  May,  saw  “inside  the 
two  hospital  sheds  of  wattle  and  mud  a score  or  so  of 
patients,  with  their  women  folk  about  them.  Mothers 
were  hanging  over  their  children,  brushing  away  the 
flies  and  moistening  their  lips,  and  in  one  corner  of  the 
shed  stood  a woman  whose  husband  lay  sick  unto  death, 
fanning  him  with  her  crimson  sari.  It  was  hot  inside — 
anything  from  a hundred  and  five  to  one  hundred  and 
ten  degrees — the  sun  came  streaming  in  through  the 
cracks  in  the  roof  of  the  matting,  and  the  people  were 
inconveniently  crowded . ’ ’ 

The  Bombay  Presidency,  and  all  along  the  coast  from 
Baluchistan  to  Mysore,  came  under  the  awful  drought. 

Rev.  E.  Fairbank,  of  Wadala,  after  visiting  the  relief 
camp  near  his  station  early  in  the  year,  wrote  to  the 
Christian  Herald: 

“Three  years  ago  at  the  end  of  the  famine  there 
was  less  wretchedness  and  starvation  than  I saw  here 


3i 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


to-day  at  the  beginning  of  the  famine.  The  misery 
is  terrible.  But  still  worse  is  the  fearful  emaciation, 
Living  skeletons  are  on  every  side.  The  village  kul- 
karani  tells  me  that  the  children  die  soon  after  they 
reach  the  camp,  being  too  far  gone  to  recover.  They 
might  have  lived  had  help  reached  them  earlier.  Last 
night  a man  died  here  who  had  travelled  a long  dis- 
tance without  proper  nourishment,  and  had  eaten  abso- 
lutely nothing  during  the  last  three  days  of  his  journey. 

“This  famine  is  undoubtedly  more  severe  in  these 
parts  than  that  of  ’76  or  that  of  ’96.  One  of  the  worst 
features  is  the  lack  of  water.  Rivers,  usually  flowing 
full  at  this  time,  are  dry  beds  of  sand.  Wells  that  have 
never  before  failed  in  the  memory  of  any  one  living 
have  not  a drop  of  water  in  them.  The  well  that  waters 
our  garden,  and  has  never  failed  since  my  father  came 
here  almost  forty-five  years  ago,  is  dry  this  year.” 

Rev.  E.  S.  Hume,  of  Byculla,  Bombay,  also  wrote: 
“The  present  famine  is  affecting  the  higher  castes  and 
the  well-to-do  classes  far  more  than  the  former  famine 
did.  There  are  places  not  far  from  Bombay,  where 
whole  companies  of  women,  who  not  long  ago  were  in 
comfortable  circumstances,  will  gather,  stark  naked, 
around  a stranger  to  beg  for  food  and  clothing.  I saw 
distress  in  1897,  during  the  famine,  but  nothing  to  com- 
pare with  that  which  is  covering  the  land  this  year.” 

Rev.  H.  G.  Bissell,  of  Ahmadnagar,  tells  this  pathetic 
story : 

“ There  is  not  a village  in  this  whole  district  with- 
out its  scores  of  empty  houses  witnessing  to  the  whole- 
sale desertion  by  sufferers  from  the  famine.  Hus- 
bands and  fathers,  in  despair  of  caring  for  their  wives 
and  children,  are  abandoning  them  to  fate  and  wander- 

32 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


ing  about  irresponsibly  in  search  of  food.  Not  a month 
ago  two  children  — little  girls  between  four  and  five 
years  of  age — were  found  seated  together  near  a cactus 
hedge.  Each  was  supplied  with  a heap  of  the  red, 
thorn-covered  cactus  fruit.  The  poor  waifs  were  ques- 
tioned, but  were  evidently  so  reduced  by  hunger  that 
they  seemed  not  to  comprehend  where  they  were,  who 
had  left  them,  or  what  they  wanted. 

“What  mothers,  delicate  women,  and  children  are 
suffering  this  season  in  the  relief  camps  is  past  finding 
out.  The  government  can  plan  for  and  relieve  them 
only  in  a general  way,  and  is  doing  so  extensively,  but 
private  charity  alone  can  meet  exceptional  cases.  The 
struggle  against  want  and  hunger  and  cold  and  death 
is  a desperate  one  this  year.” 

In  Gujarat,  between  the  bays  of  Cutch  and  Cambay, 
and  especially  in  Kathiawar,  the  famine  was  unusually 
severe.  Gujarat,  as  a rule,  has  been  exempt  from 
famine,  and  hence  the  people  were  not  prepared  for  what 
occurred.  A lady  writing  from  Ahmedabad,  in  Febru- 
ary, i goo,  says: 

“According  to  the  prognostications  of  the  news- 
papers, the  famine  is  month  by  month  increasing  in 
severity.  It  is  calculated,  however,  that  it  has  not 
yet  reached  its  worst  point.  Rain  cannot  be  expected 
until  June,  therefore  distress  will  grow  greater  daily. 
As  the  resources  of  the  people  fail,  the  number  of  the 
starving  must  necessarily  increase.  The  government 
have  a terrible  problem  to  solve — the  famine  is  the 
worst  they  have  ever  had  to  grapple  with.  In  the 
famine  of  1897  and  1898,  they  received  150  lakhs  of 
rupees  ($5,000,000)  from  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies, 
the  contributions  of  the  charitable,  but  this  year, 

33 


3 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


through  the  sad  war  in  South  Africa,  they  have  not 
been  able  to  receive  such  help.  Yet  in  the  1897  famine, 
on  New  Year’s  Day  only  1,000,000  persons  were  in 
receipt  of  relief;  this  year  at  the  same  date  2,750,000 
were  on  the  hands  of  the  government,  and  since  that 
time  the  number  has  nearly  doubled.  The  prospects 
are  gloomy  and  terrible  indeed. 

“The  high-caste  people  are  selling  their  wives’  silver 
ornaments,  and  starving  themselves  in  a weary  struggle 
to  try  and  keep  some  of  their  bullocks  alive ; for  what 
can  they  do  next  monsoon,  if  they  have  no  animals  to 
plough  with?  And  yet  how  fruitless  and  weary  this 
struggle  is  is  too  plainly  seen  by  the  skeletons  of  the 
poor  dead  cattle  to  be  seen  on  every  hand  in  the  villages. 
A few  low-caste  people  who  have  managed  to  get  a little 
capital  have  been  able  to  do  a good  trade  in  skins  and 
bones,  but  they  are  only  a few,  and  it  is  a ghastly 
thought,  reminding  us  of  the  vultures  we  constantly  see 
in  the  fields  holding  their  carnival  of  death.  Sad  sights 
and  sounds  are  all  around  us.  Yesterday  a poor, 
desolate  woman  with  five  children  came  here,  having 
walked  fifty  miles  to  beg  us  to  take  her  children.  She 
was  formerly  a woman  in  respectable  circumstances. 
Daily,  people  come  asking  us  to  buy  their  little  ones 
for  a pound  or  two  of  grain.  A young  woman  died 
of  starvation  outside  our  house  a few  days  ago. 

“What  has  increased  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  is 
that  for  the  last  ten  days  the  most  terrible  cold  snap 
has  set  in.  We  Europeans,  in  our  good  houses  and  with 
sufficiency  of  clothing  and  food  and  bedding,  do  not 
know  how  to  keep  ourselves  warm — what  must  be  the 
sufferings  of  these  starving  masses  ? What  pitiful  stories 
we  hear!  In  one  village  where  our  people  needed  a 
house,  one  poor  starving  family,  to  secure  the  eightpence 
a month  rent,  turned  out  to  live  on  the  road.” 

34 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Of  the  Panch  Mahals,  or  five  districts,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Gujarat,  a jungle  where  the  Bhils  and  Kalis  have 
reclaimed  some  land  and  live  by  farming,  hunting,  and 
sometimes  by  stealing,  it  could  be  said  early  in  May, 
1900: 

“Nearly  adjoining  the  poorhouse  at  Godhra  is  a 
camp  of  14,000  toiling  sufferers.  In  spite  of  all  that 
can  be  done  for  them,  their  condition  is  pitiable  to  a 
degree  scarcely  capable  of  realization.  Men,  women,  and 
children  are  living  out  in  the  open,  dried-up  bed  of  a 
large  lake,  with  nothing  but  a bamboo  mat  between  them 
and  the  fierce  sun,  day  after  day.  The  little  ones  cry 
for  water,  but  as  they  open  their  little  mouths  they 
are  filled  with  the  blinding  hot  dust  which  has  been 
stirred  up  by  30,000  restless  feet. 

“As  the  remainder  of  the  water  gradually  evaporated 
in  the  fierce  heat,  the  people  were  surprised  to  see  the 
fish  so  close  they  could  be  caught  by  hand.  For  two 
or  three  whole  nights  the  famishing  crowds  seized, 
cooked,  and  devoured  the  fish  as  fast  as  they  could. 
It  is  supposed  that  many  of  them  ate  fish  which  had 
turned  fetid,  but  whatever  the  cause,  a fearful  form  of 
Asiatic  cholera  broke  out  so  suddenly  that  about  two 
hundred  perished  the  first  day.  Then  the  panic  seized 
the  multitude,  and  they  fled  in  all  directions,  throwing 
down  their  tools  and  abandoning  their  dead  and  dying. 
The  air  became  laden  with  the  stench  of  putrefying 
bodies.  While  riding  over  to  the  burning  ground  be- 
hind my  bungalow,  to  see  that  the  bodies  were  being 
properly  disposed  of,  I found  that  the  bearers  of  the 
dead  had  themselves  been  stricken  down  in  front  of  the 
pyre.  The  civil  surgeon  and  I administered  some  medi- 
cine, and  did  all  we  could,  but  they  collapsed.  A young 
woman  was  carrying  bricks  for  the  Mission  Orphanage 

35 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


yesterday.  She  suddenly  sank  down  on  the  ground, 
and,  in  spite  of  all  that  we  could  do,  died  within  four 
hours.  Her  husband  heard  the  news  at  four  in  the 
afternoon,  and  three  hours  afterward  he  also  was  dead. 
Their  child  followed.  The  people  suddenly  fall  in  the 
midst  of  conversation,  and  rapidly  sink.  In  spite  of  all 
that  the  authorities  can  do  the  fearful  disease  has  been 
spread  abroad,  and  none  of  us  can  yet  say  what  the 
end  will  be. 

“ The  smell  of  burning  bodies  kept  me  awake  a greater 
part  of  last  night,  and,  even  as  I write,  one  of  my  workers 
calls  out  that  a man  is  dying  under  the  hedge  of  the 
compound.  From  early  morning  until  dusk,  parties 
of  men  under  the  collector  and  other  officers  are  out 

4 

gathering  up  the  bodies  of  the  dead.  Whichever  way 
we  turn  we  discover  these  ghastly  corpses,  twisted  and 
bloated,  in  almost  every  position  which  agony  can 
produce.  Cart-load  after  cart-load  arrives  at  the  poor- 
house  under  a police  guard,  and  we  set  ourselves  to  sort 
out  the  living  from  the  dead,  because  the  stretcher- 
bearers  are  fleeing,  and  so  the  people  are  being  brought 
in  as  best  can  be  managed.  During  the  last  few  days 
a thousand  bodies  have  been  picked  up. 

“Dr.  Nightingale  sets  off  in  the  morning  with  some 
food  and  medicine  on  the  heads  of  coolies,  and  thus 
renders  first  aid.  Some  of  the  poor  creatures  die  with 
the  medicine  in  their  mouths.” 

The  Rev.  Dennis  Clancy,  who  visited  the  famine 
country  in  May,  wrote:  “ It  is  at  its  worst  in  Rajputana 
and  Gujarat,  and  the  people  who  have  suffered  most 
from  it  are  the  Bhils,  a hill  tribe  in  the  northern  part 
of  Gujarat.  Forty  per  cent,  of  the  people  have  already 
died  from  famine,  and,  as  it  is  so  difficult  to  get  relief 
to  them,  owing  to  their  distance  from  the  railroads  and 

36 


THE  DEAD  PIT DAILY  COMPANY 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  roughness  of  the  country,  it  is  thought  that  at  least 
forty  per  cent,  more  will  die  before  the  famine  ends. 
The  English  government  has  been  doing  its  utmost  to 
relieve  these  people,  as  well  as  all  other  famine  sufferer's. 
As  early  as  last  cold  weather,  government  sent  200 
camels  loaded  with  grain  into  this  country,  and  since 
then  the  political  officers  have  Mieen  employing  many 
more,  as  the  need  increased.  By  means  of  this  camel 
transport  they  have  been  supplying  a large  number  of 
relief  works  under  their  care,  and  also  some  of  the 
kitchens  of  the  local  missionaries.  In  order  to  keep  the 
Bhils  from  plundering  these  trains,  it  is  necessary  for 
Sepoy  escorts  to  accompany  all  convoys  and  stocks  of 
grain.  The  missionaries  here,  as  in  other  famine  dis- 
tricts, are  doing  much  to  relieve  the  suffering.  A mis- 
sionary of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  the  Rev.  C.  S. 
Thompson,  did  heroic  work  there,  until  he  was  stricken 
down  -with  cholera  and  died  after  a few  hours’  suffer- 
ing, attended  only  by  his  native  servant,  who  died  a 
few  hours  after  his  master.  He  was  about  one  hundred 
miles  from  the  railroad,  doing  relief  work,  and  died  un- 
der a tree.  The  tidings  of  his  death  did  not  reach  his 
mission  until  about  a week  after  he  died.  Then  there 
were  a large  number  who  volunteered  to  take  his  place.” 
Mr.  Hume  wrote  to  Dr.  Klopsch  as  follows:  ‘‘Rev. 

W.  Mulligan,  of  Panch  Mahal,  writes:  ‘Already  our 
home  has  received  twenty  little  waifs,  and  this  morning 
the  police  asked  us  if  we  could  not  take  a dozen  more. 
I would  have  liked  to  accept  them,  but  we  have  now 
as  many  as  we  can  feed.  The  other  day  a Bhil  woman 
was  trying  to  sell  her  niece.  The  best  offer  she  could 
get  was  five  quarts  of  grain.  She  refused  it  and  brought 
the  girl  to  us.’  Mrs.  Fuller,  of  the  Alliance  Mission,  re- 
ports that  she  has  already  taken  charge  of  sixty  orphan 
children.  Rev.  E.  Fairbank,  of  Wadala,  writes:  ‘Our 

37 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


helpers  are  continually  beset  by  people  begging  for  a 
mouthful  of  grain.  People  come  to  us  by  the  score, 
pitifully  entreating  us  to  help  them.  One  poor  fellow 
was  so  weak  that  in  bending  forward  to  make  the  cus- 
tomary salaam  he  could  not  recover  himself,  and  fell 
on  his  face  and  was  unable  to  rise.’  Rev.  J.  B.  Bawa, 
of  Roha,  reports  the  increase  around  him  of  the  num- 
ber of  starving  people,  especially  of  helpless  women.” 

In  the  Central  India  Agency,  composed  of  sixty-four 
native  states,  which  are  more  or  less  subject  to  the 
authority  of  Great  Britain,  lying  between  Rajputana 
and  the  Central  Provinces,  and  which  must  be  dis- 
tinguished from  them,  the  ravages  of  famine  were  un- 
speakable. In  May,  1900,  there  were  about  two  hun- 
dred thousand  people  on  government  relief  works. 

The  whole  of  Rajputana,1  with  its  twenty  feudatory 
states  and  its  12,000,000  inhabitants,  was  affected, 
and,  like  many  other  places,  it  was  just  righting  itself 
from  the  severe  famine  of  1897  when  this  awful  storm 
struck  it. 

Miss  Marks,  of  Ajmir,  wrote  to  the  Christian  Herald 
in  March:  “Three  years  ago  the  Christian  Herald’s  ap- 
peal to  its  readers  for  help  resulted  in  the  missionaries 
in  India  being  able  to  succor  thousands  of  famished 
people.  We  little  thought  then  that  like  appeals  would 
soon  be  needed;  but  famine,  as  gaunt  and  terrible  as 
before,  is  now  here,  menacing  millions  of  people.  The 
centre  of  the  trouble  has  now  changed  to  Rajputana, 
though  other  districts  are  affected  to  a deplorable  extent. 
We  are  daily  witnesses  of  distress  and  suffering  that  are 
absolutely  indescribable.  Three  weeks  ago  a company 

1 If  in  this  book  the  author  has  more  to  say  about  the  famine  in 
Rajputana  than  in  other  provinces,  it  is  only  because  he  had  larger 
personal  experience  there,  it  falling  to  his  lot  to  administer  famine 
relief  in  that  needy  field. 


38 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


numbering  2000  passed  through  Kishangarh — a town 
near  us— having  sought  help  in  another  district.  They 
had  been  disappointed,  for  they  found  famine  every- 
where, and  they  were  returning  in  despair  to  their  own 
villages.  They  said  that  hundreds  had  died  of  exhaus- 
tion and  starvation  by  the  road-side.  It  is  awful  to  see 
the  emaciated  creatures  and  hear  their  cries.  Even 
at  this  early  stage  of  the  calamity  we  cannot  stir  out 
without  seeing  children,  and  grown  people  too,  who  are 
mere  skeletons.” 

There  was  scarcity  in  the  whole  of  the  Punjab,  and 
severe  famine  over  the  southern  part,  and  it  was  special- 
ly felt  in  the  district  of  Hissar,  of  which  we  read:  ‘‘The 
people  of  Hissar,  in  numbers  that  fluctuate  from  a 
hundred  thousand  to  a hundred  and  sixty  thousand, 
according  to  the  work  to  be  got  elsewhere,  are  digging 
tanks  and  living  in  famine  camps.  Numbers  of  villages 
are  absolutely  deserted,  and  for  more  than  six  months 
past  the  worst  famine  within  human  memory  has  had 
its  grip  on  Hissar.  The  scarcity  of  food  is  worst  in  this 
southern  corner  of  the  Punjab,  but  the  fodder  famine 
throughout  the  whole  province  has  reached  a point  of 
such  intensity  that  the  Lieutenant-Governor  has  just 
declared  that,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  local  gov- 
ernment and  the  government  of  India,  it  is  impossible 
to  secure  supplies  for  keeping  life  even  in  the  indispen- 
sable plough  cattle.” 

To  sum  up : All  the  western  part  of  India,  the 
Deccan,  including  the  Nizam’s  dominions,  the  Central 
Provinces,  the  Central  India  Agency,  the  Bombay  Pres- 
idency, including  Gujarat  (comprising  Kathiawar,  Cutch, 
and  Borada),  Sind,  and  Rajputana  and  the  Punjab, 
especially  the  southern  part,  were  hit  by  this  awful 
famine.  Mr.  John  Elliott,  in  his  careful  forecast  of  the 
monsoon  of  1900,  wrote,  before  the  famine  was  at  its 

39 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


worst,  that  “ the  drought  of  1897  extended  over  a larger 
area  and  was  more  severe  than  has  occurred  during  the 
previous  200  years.  So  far  as  can  be  judged  from  the 
data  collected  by  the  Famine  Commission,  the  drought 
of  1897  and  the  subsequent  famine  of  1899-1900,  are 
unique  in  their  extent  of  area,  and  probably  also  in  their 
intensity.  No  such  complete  failure  of  the  rains,  after 
the  first  month  of  the  monsoon,  is  on  record.” 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1900,  the  Viceroy  of  India 
held  a special  meeting  of  his  council  in  Calcutta  to 
consider  the  situation.  At  this  time  it  was  known  from 
official  estimates  that  in  British  territory  about  twenty- 
two  million  people  were  affected,  and  in  the  native 
states  about  twenty-seven  millions  more,  or  in  all  more 
than  forty-nine  millions  of  people  were  either  starving 
or  in  great  distress,  while  in  many  places  cattle  were 
being  annihilated.  The  Viceroy,  Lord  Curzon,  said  the 
famine  area  had  expanded,  surpassing  the  worst  fears, 
and  they  were  now  facing  a cattle,  water,  and  food 
scarcity  of  a terrible  character.  About  three  million 
five  hundred  thousand  persons  were  already  receiving 
relief.  While  in  1897  the  world  shared  India’s  sorrow 
and  contributed  hundreds  of  thousands  of  pounds  tow- 
ards the  relief  fund,  India  now  would  have  to  struggle 
alone,  for  the  thoughts  of  every  Englishman  in  the 
world  were  centred  on  South  Africa. 

The  outside  world  can  have  but  a faint  idea  of  the 
disastrous  effect  of  the  condition  of  things  so  coldly 
described  in  the  official  statement  given,  but  the  follow- 
ing extract,  from  the  letter  of  a Bombay  official,  dated 
from  Ahmedabad,  affords  some  slight  indication  of  it. 
He  says:  “ I came  here  on  tour,  and  find  there  is  every 
evidence  of  famine,  but  the  wholesale  mortality  of  cattle 
is  the  most  striking  feature  at  present.  I am  afraid  this 
will  be  the  worst  famine  the  Bombay  Presidency,  and 

40 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


India  generally,  has  had  for  very  many  years  past,  the 
area  is  so  extensive  and  the  failure  of  grass  and  crops 
so  absolute,  in  addition  to  which  the  water  supply  is 
failing.  In  this  usually  fertile  province  of  Gujarat, 
Rajputana,  and  Kathiawar  they  have  had  no  such 
visitation  within  the  century,  and  in  the  Deccan,  alas! 
this  is  the  second  acute  famine  in  three  years.  I went 
to  the  poor-house  here,  which  has  only  been  started  a 
short  time,  for  people  who  are  picked  up  about  the  city 
precincts  too  weak  to  work  and  exhausted  from  want  of 
food.  There  are  already  220  in  the  house,  little  better 
than  living  skeletons.  Some  die  every  day  in  the  poor- 
house.  It  is  only  the  beginning  of  what  will  get  worse, 
more  acute,  every  month  for  at  least  six  months  to 
come.  There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  were  the 
British  government  not  here  now,  whole  provinces 
would  get  depopulated;  and  with  all  the  resources  at 
our  command  the  government  is  scarcely  able  to  stand 
the  drain  on  its  resources.”  It  should  be  remembered 
that  India  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  great  famine 
of  1897,  and  that  in  parts  of  the  famine-stricken  area 
the  plague  also  was  epidemic  and  tending  to  spread, 
and  that  the  war  in  Africa  was  demanding  the  nation’s 
most  liberal  resources,  and  it  was  a time  to  husband  and 
not  expend  her  reserves. 


V 


THE  FAMINE  CODES 

“And  they  said,  Thou  hast  saved  our  lives.” — Genesis,  xlvii.,  25. 

A provisional  code  for  the  guidance  of  officers  in  the 
time  of  famine  was  promulgated  by  the  Indian  govern- 
ment in  1883.  Local  governments  were  permitted  to 
frame  their  own  codes,  and  so  there  appeared  separate 
codes  for  the  different  provinces.  In  1889  the  govern- 
ment sought  to  scrutinize  these  various  codes,  and  hence 
the  opinions  of  local  governments  on  the  working  of  the 
existing  codes  were  taken.  Revised  codes  were  called 
for  in  1893,  and  these  form  the  basis  of  the  present 
general  famine  code. 

The  main  method  of  relief  depended  upon  by  the 
government  in  famine  times  is  a system  of  relief  works. 
The  classification  of  relief  - workers  as  (1)  professional 
laborers;  (2)  laborers,  but  not  professional;  (3)  able- 
bodied,  but  not  laborers;  and  (4)  weakly  workers,  was 
adhered  to,  and  it  was  determined  that  as  the  system 
advocated  in  the  provisional  code  of  forming  relief- work- 
ers into  gangs  had  proved  successful,  workers,  after 
having  been  duly  classified,  should  be  formed  into 
gangs,  and  a task  prescribed  for  each  gang,  on  the 
performance  of  which,  in  whole  or  in  part,  each  member 
of  the  gang  should  be  entitled  to  the  wage  prescribed 
for  his  class,  in  whole  or  in  part,  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  the  task  performed  by  the  whole  gang.  The 

42 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


tendency  of  these  orders  was  to  abolish  the  original 
plan  of,  so  far  as  possible,  employing  all  the  able-bodied 
on  piece-work,  and  allowing  them  to  earn  thereby  some- 
thing above  the  full  ration  wage  by  doing  a full  task. 
The  use  of  the  term  “piece-work”  in  the  codes  was 
forbidden  in  future  on  the  ground  that  piece-work,  or 
payment  by  results,  in  famine  operations,  as  distinguish- 
ed from  piece-work  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term, 
must  be  limited  by  the  estimated  and  not  the  actual 
capacity  of  those  employed.  The  sufficiency  of  the 
minimum  ration,  which  had  been  questioned,  was  re- 
affirmed, but  at  the  same  time  the  method  of  calculating 
the  wage  from  the  ration,  known  as  the  “grain- 
equivalent”  method,  was  introduced,  and  this  practically 
allowed  some  increase  in  the  scale  of  wages.  Permis- 
sion was  also  given  to  local  governments,  under  certain 
conditions,  to  relieve  the  non-working  children  and  de- 
pendants of  relief  - workers  by  means  of  allowances  to 
the  working  members  of  the  family,  though  for  many 
reasons  the  government  of  India  preferred  that,  when- 
ever practicable,  such  persons  should  be  separately 
relieved  by  the  distribution  of  grain  or  of  food  cooked  in 
kitchens. 

The  code  first  provides  for  regular  reports  of  the 
seasons,  crops,  etc.,  in  ordinary  times,  and  the  early 
apprisal  of  the  approach  of  scarcity  or  famine  in  any 
part  of  the  land,  and  indicates  the  preliminary  action 
to  be  taken  where  there  is  distress,  or  likely  to  be 
distress.  Perhaps  in  no  country  in  the  world  are  there 
such  complete  and  elaborate  reports  made  of  crops, 
prices,  rainfall,  health  of  cattle,  and  all  other  circum- 
stances affecting  agricultural  prospects.  The  code  has 
most  elaborate  rules  and  regulations  for  the  conduct 
of  relief  measures  and  the  duties  of  superior  revenue 
and  engineer  officers  during  famine. 

43 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


The  matter  has  been  thus  stated  by  the  code:1 

“The  general  scheme  is  to  make  the  administrative 
area,  called  the  district,  the  unit  of  famine  relief  ad- 
ministration, the  district  officer,  subject  to  the  general 
control  of  the  commissioner  of  the  division,  being  the 
agent  of  government  for  carrying  out  the  measures  of 
relief  that  may  be  determined  on.  The  district  officer 
is  responsible  for  exercising  general  supervision  over  all 
works  and  arrangements  for  giving  relief  within  his 
district  and  for  their  efficiency,  and  officers  of  all  de- 
partments employed  on  famine  duty  within  the  limits 
of  his  district  are  subject  to  his  orders  on  all  points 
except  those  of  a strictly  professional  nature.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  staff  ordinarily  at  his  disposal  for  the 
current  administration  of  his  district,  including,  as  it 
does,  officers  of  such  departments  as  the  revenue, 
the  police,  and  the  medical  departments,  it  is  main- 
ly through  the  agency  of  the  officers  of  the  public 
works  department,  and  of  the  establishments  of  lo- 
cal bodies  constituted  by  law  within  the  district, 
that  the  district  officer  carries  out  the  measures  of 
relief.” 

In  the  code  the  various  forms  of  relief  are  clearly 
indicated  and  the  rules  for  their  operation  stated.  The 
following  are  the  leading  relief  measures:2 

(i)  Circle  organization,  or  the  system  by  which  affected 
districts  are  divided  into  circles  of  convenient  size  for 
relief  administration;  (2)  Gratuitous  relief,  at  the  homes 
of  the  people,  to  the  physically  infirm  who  have  no 
means  of  support;  (3)  Relief  works  for  those  who  are 
able  to  earn  their  support,  and  who  are  given  wages 


1 Report,  p.  46. 


2 Famine  Commission,  1898,  p.  49. 

44 


POOR-HOUSE  AT  AHMEDABAD 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


graduated  according  to  their  respective  strength  and 
physical  requirements.  The  code  defines  rations  that 
are  to  be  given  to  certain  classes — as  the  full  ration,  for 
the  able-bodied , the  minimum  ration,  for  weakly  laborers 
and  adult  dependants;  the  penal  ration,  for  those  re- 
fusing to  work;  the  proportional  ration,  for  children  of 
various  ages  and  requirements.  All  the  codes  provide 
that  the  money  wage  may  be  deduced  from  the  rations 
in  either  of  two  methods.  Either  the  amount  of  money 
which  at  the  current  rates  is  sufficient  to  purchase  the 
component  items  of  the  ration  may  be  given,  or  the 
money  value  of  the  “grain-equivalent”  of  the  ration. 
By  “grain-equivalent”  is  meant  the  amount  of  grain 
of  which  the  value  is,  in  ordinary  times,  equivalent 
to  the  total  value  of  the  various  items  of  the  ration, 
and  this  is  computed  in  all  the  codes  to  be  one  and 
three-quarters  times  the  weight  of  the  grain  item 
itself. 

These  rations  and  the  wage  scale  have  been  pre- 
scribed by  the  government  of  India,  and  are  generally 
adopted  in  all  the  codes.  But  some  divergencies  oc- 
cur, as,  for  example,  in  the  case  of  children  who  are 
remunerated  “according  to  age  and  requirements,”  and 
in  the  adjustment  of  the  wage  as  current  prices  fluc- 
tuate. 

(4)  Poor-houses,  or  “institutions  for  the  reception 
and  relief  of  persons  unfit  to  work,  who  either  have  no 
homes  or  cannot  conveniently  be  sent  to  their  houses, 
and  of  persons  in  need  of  relief  who  are  fit  to  work  and 
wilfully  refuse  to  labor.” 

(5)  Kitchens  where  cooked  food  is  supplied  at  certain 
centres,  often  at  relief  works,  to  non-working  children 
and  adult  dependants  of  relief-workers. 

(6)  Relief  to  certain  classes,  as  to  (a)  parda  women; 
(b)  artisans;  (c)  weavers. 


45 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


(7)  Orphanages  where  orphan  children  can  be  gath- 
ered temporarily. 

(8)  Protection  of  cattle  when  the  pasture  is  about 
to  fail. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  provincial  codes 
often  differ  in  some  particulars,  but,  in  general,  the 
above  is  a fair  outline  of  the  forms  of  relief  provided 
in  India  during  a famine.  What  a striking  illus- 
tration of  an  over-ruling  Providence  directed  by  wis- 
dom and  intelligence  and  reaching  out  in  its  various 
forms  to  the  remotest  places  and  down  to  the  poor- 
est and  most  needy  subject ! It  may  have  seemed 
at  times  like  a great  machine,  but  it  was  started, 
guided,  and  controlled  by  a thinking  mind,  which 
acted  benevolently  and  ever  for  the  good  of  the 
people. 

It  is  difficult  to  state  accurately  the  amount  that 
was  allowed  by  government  to  those  that  are  em- 
ployed on  famine  relief  works ; but  it  may  be  said 
that,  in  general,  all  those  who  come  to  the  relief 
works  are  classified  and  are  paid  in  kind,  or  given 
its  equivalent,  as  follows: 


Class 

Wage,  in  ounces 

Percentage  of  full 

(A)  Professional  laborers 

42. 

100. 

(B)  Laborers,  but  not  professional 

3S. 

9°s 

76.2 

66.6 

(D)  Weakly,  but  fit  for  light  employment 

28. 

In  the  Provisional  Code  issued  by  the  government  of 
India  in  1883,  the  full  and  minimum  rations  pre- 
scribed for  workers,  and  the  penal  ration  for  laborers 
sent  to  a poor-house  for  refusing  to  work,  are  given,  as 
follows : 


46 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Description  of  ration 

For  a 
man 

For  a 
woman 

For  children 

Full 

Flour,  of  the  common  grain  used  in  the 
country,  or  cleaned  rice 

lb.  oz. 

i 8 

o 4 

o i 

O I 

O I 

lb.  oz. 

i 4 

o 4 

o i 

o i 

o o 

1. 1,  and  i, 
according 
to  age  and 
require- 
ments 

Chee,  or  oil 

Condiments  and  vegetables 

Minimum 

Flour,  of  the  common  grain  used  in  the 

country,  or  cleaned  rice 

Pulse 

Salt 

Chee,  or  oil 

Condiments  and  vegetables 

I o 
o 2 
O i 
o i 
o i 

o 14 

O 2 

0 i 

0 i 

0 i 

i-,  and 
according 
to  age  and 
require- 
ments 

Penal 

Flour,  grain,  or  rice 

Pulse 

Salt 

o o o 

H-M 

0 12 

0 1 

0 i 

Not  stated 

The  original  Famine  Commissioners  gave  their  opinion 
as  to  the  amount  of  food  required  for  workers  and  non- 
workers as  follows: 

“The  conclusion  we  draw  from  a careful  examination 
of  the  evidence  of  authorities  in  all  parts  of  India  is, 
that  an  average  ration  of  about  one  and  one-half  pounds 
per  diem  of  the  meal  or  flour  of  the  common,  coarser 
grain  of  the  country  suffices  for  an  ordinary  working 
adult  male.  In  the  rice-eating  countries  an  equal  weight 
of  rice  may  be  accepted  in  lieu  of  flour,  and  in  any  case 
the  ration  should  include  a suitable  proportion  of  pulse. 
A man  doing  light  work  would  require  about  one  and 
one-quarter  pounds;  and  the  ration  which  consists  of 
one  pound  of  flour  with  a little  pulse  has  been  found 
sufficient  to  support  life  in  numerous  relief-houses,  where 
no  work  is  exacted,  all  over  the  country.  On  these 
bases  the  diet  scale  should  be  built  up,  it  being  under- 
stood that  a female  requires  a little  less  than  a male,  a 
child  below  twelve  years  of  age  about  half  the  allow- 
ance of  an  adult  male,  and  a non-working  child  below 

47 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


six  or  seven  about  half  as  much  as  a working  child.  On 
relief  works,  however,  where  a money  wage  is  given,  the 
rate  of  pay  should  be  such  as  to  leave  a slight  margin 
above  the  actual  cost  of  the  flour,  so  as  to  allow  for  the 
purchase  of  salt,  pepper,  and  other  condiments,  and 
firewood,  and  to  avoid  the  risk  of  the  wage  being  in- 
sufficient to  purchase  the  full  ration  of  food.  Whenever 
it  is  necessary  to  supply  people  with  a kind  of  food  to 
which  they  are  unaccustomed,  the  result  should  be 
carefully  watched,  and  endeavor  should  be  made  to 
counteract,  by  some  adjustment  of  the  dietary,  the  un- 
favorable results  which  will  probably  arise  from  the 
change.” 

The  government  resolution  of  18931  ‘‘directed  that 
the  wage  of  each  class  might  be  expressed  in  terms  of 
the  grain  equivalent,  which  was  defined  as  ‘ the  amount 
of  grain  of  which  the  value  is  in  ordinary  times  equivalent 
to  the  total  value  of  the  various  items  of  the  ration,’ 
the  grain  selected  as  a basis  for  calculation  being  in 
every  case  the  ‘ staple  or  staples  in  ordinary  consumption 
in  the  affected  tracts,  and  not  the  more  expensive  classes 
of  grain,  which,  though  occasionally  consumed  in  times 
of  plenty,  are  abandoned  for  cheaper  grains  as  soon 
as  pressure  sets  in.’  It  was  added  that,  ‘ after  a careful 
review  of  the  statistics  indicating  the  relations  existing 
at  various  times  in  each  province  between  the  price 
of  the  staple  grain  and  the  prices  of  other  items  of  the 
ration,  the  Governor-General  in  Council  is  satisfied  that 
the  cost  of  the  other  items  in  the  minimum  adult  male 
ration  will  seldom,  if  ever,  be  found  to  be  more  than 
three-quarters  of  the  grain  item.’  Under  the  method 
of  grain  equivalents,  therefore,  the  grain  equivalent  of  a 


1 Report,  1898,  p.  260. 

48 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


given  ration  would  be  equal  to  one  and  three-quarter 
times  the  weight  of  the  grain  item.  It  was  recognized 
that  under  this  method  there  would  generally  be  a 
margin  in  favor  of  the  worker,  which  would  increase 
as  scarcity  intensifies  and  the  price  of  grain  rises,  and 
decrease  as  prices  fall ; but  his  Excellency  the  Governor- 
General  in  Council  did  ‘not  regard  this  result  as  a 
serious  disadvantage.’  It  was,  however,  provided  that 
in  cases  when  the  assumption  of  the  one-and-three- 
quarter  ration  would  lead  to  a material  diminution  in  the 
margin,  or  to  an  extravagant  expansion  of  it,  the  wage 
might  be  calculated,  from  time  to  time,  in  terms  of  the 
money  value  of  all  the  component  items  of  the  ration 
at  current  prices.” 

The  Famine  Commission  of  1898,  in  their  recommend- 
ed alms,  modified  the  previous  classification  of  those 
relieved  and  the  wage  scale,  as  follows:  “They  would 
divide  all  the  relieved  into,  first,  workers,  and,  secondly, 
gratuitously  relieved — the  workers  to  include  (1)  diggers, 
(2)  carriers,  (3)  working  children  between  eight  and 
twelve  years  of  age,  and  the  non -workers,  (4)  adult 
dependants,  and  (5)  non -working  children.  They 
further  recommended  that  “the  new  Class  I.  should  be 
entitled  to  the  full  wage  for  an  adult  man,  while  the 
wage  for  Class  II.  will  be  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  this. 
Working  children,  or  Class  III.,  should  be  paid  about 
half  the  wage  for  Class  II.  Adult  dependants,  or  Class 
IV.,  should  receive  the  minimum  wage,  and  non -working 
children  about  half  of  this  allowance.” 

The  provisional  wage  proposed  for  all  classes,  except 
for  workers  of  special  qualifications,  in  terms  of  the 
chattaks  (a  measure  equal  to  one-sixteenth  of  the  Indian 
seer,  or  one-six-hundred-and-fortieth  of  the  maund  of 
eighty-two  and  two-seventh  pounds) — i.e.,  the  equivalent 
of  nearly  2.051  ounces,  is  given  as  follows: 

49 


4 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Chattaks 


Class  I.  Diggers 20 

II.  Carriers  15 

III.  Working  children 8 

,,  j y | Adult  dependants  £ 

( Minimum  wage.  f 
“ V.  Non-working  children. 

(i.)  Over  8 years 7 

(ii.)  Under  8 years 5 


“As  regards  nursing  mothers,  we  would  allow  them 
the  wage  of  their  class,  which  will  usually  be  fifteen 
chattaks,  along  with  the  non-working  child’s  allowance 
of  five  chattaks.  In  other  words,  a nursing  mother 
will  receive  the  full  wage  of  twenty  chattaks  for  herself 
and  child.” 

I have  given  the  code  scales  thus  somewhat  at  length, 
that  it  may  be  seen  how  systematically  the  whole  scheme 
of  feeding  and  relieving  the  famine-stricken  people  of 
India  has  been  worked  out  by  government.  Of  course, 
in  practice,  it  has  been  found  that  it  is  necessary  at 
times  to  deviate  from  the  code  scale,  and  it  is  to  the 
credit  of  famine  relief -officers  that  they  have  done  so 
when  necessary.1 

It  would  seem  from  reading  the  dry  details  of  the 
code  that  there  is  much  red-tape  and  inflexibility  about 
these  rules,  and,  as  the  Commissioners  themselves 
admit,2  “in  the  effort  to  safeguard  the  public  funds 
and  to  prevent  relief  works  from  attracting  persons  not 
actually  in  want,  the  wage  rate  has,  at  times  and  places 
in  the  recent  famine,  been  allowed  to  drop  below  the 
point  at  which  the  worker’s  subsistence  is  assured” ; but 


1 The  late  Famine  Commission  (1901)  recommends  a less  liberal 
scale  of  wages  and  daily  payments  by  results,  they  being  of  the 
opinion  that  in  some  places  the  relief  was  so  liberal  that  it  became 
demoralizing. 

2 Report,  1898,  p.  196. 


5° 


RELIEF  WORKS BREAKING  STONE 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


it  should  be  remembered  that  government  has  for  years 
made  a profound  study  of  Indian  famines,  and  these 
rules  have  been  tested  by  experience  and  found  to  be, 
in  most  respects,  the  best  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances. In  carrying  out  the  details  there  may  be 
hardships  inflicted,  and  it  is  difficult  to  utterly  abolish 
indifference,  inefficiency,  and  dishonesty  among  sub- 
ordinates ; but,  as  a whole,  it  is  a wonderful  scheme  for 
the  rescue  and  relief  of  the  starving  men,  women,  and 
children  of  India. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  during  the  late 
famine,  in  pursuance  of  the  recommendation  of  the 
Commission  of  1898,  the  relief  was  more  liberal  than 
had  been  given  hitherto,  and  became  more  so  as  the 
' famine  increased  in  severity.  The  Viceroy,  in  his  state- 
ment to  the  Legislative  Council,  says:  “The  preceding 
famine  had  bequeathed  experiences  and  lessons  of  the 
utmost  value,  which  were  carefully  gathered  up  by  the 
Commission  of  1898,  and  which  have  profoundly  affected 
the  policy  of  the  present  famine.  The  stress  laid  by 
the  Commission  on  the  necessity  for  starting  relief  before 
the  people  had  run  down;  their  advocacy  of  more  ex- 
tensive gratuitous  relief,  especially  in  the  form  of  kitchen 
relief ; their  recommendations  concerning  the  special 
treatment  of  aboriginal  and  forest  tribes ; their  approval 
of  small  or  village  relief  works — these  and  other  injunc- 
tions will  be  found  to  have  influenced  our  measures  and 
shaped  our  course  throughout  the  famine.  The  Com- 
mission’s recommendations  were  generally  in  the  direc- 
tion of  greater  flexibility  in  relief  methods  and  greater 
liberality  of  relief.  ...  In  the  present  famine  we  have 
broken  new  ground,  and,  acting  on  the  lessons  of  its 
predecessor,  have  accepted  a higher  standard  of  moral 
and  financial  obligation  than  has  ever  before  been  rec- 
ognized in  this  or  any  country.  There  is  no  parallel 

5i 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


in  the  history  of  India,  or  in  that  of  any  country  in  the 
world,  to  the  total  of  over  six  million  persons  who,  in 
British  India  and  the  native  states,  have  for  weeks 
on  end  been  dependent  upon  the  charity  of  government.” 
The  Report  of  the  Famine  Commission  of  1901,  just 
issued,  while  confirming  in  the  main  the  measures  rec- 
ommended by  its  predecessors,  puts  great  stress  upon 
the  importance  of  preparedness  for  famine.  This  can 
be  insured  by  (a)  an  efficient  system  of  intelligence; 
( b ) effective  programmes  of  relief  works ; (c)  reserves  of 
establishment;  ( d ) reserves  of  tools  and  plant.  It  places 
special  emphasis  upon  ‘‘test  works”  as  a means  of  as- 
certaining the  condition,  of  the  people,  and  lays  down 
the  following  practical  rules  for  the  guidance  of  the 
administration  — viz.,  (a)  put  heart  into  the  people; 
v b ) proceed  from  the  beginning  on  a comprehensive 
plan  and  publish  it;  (c)  make  liberal  preparation  in 
advance  of  pressure;  ( d ) once  the  preparations  have 
been  made,  wait  on  events;  ( e ) bring  from  the  outset 
influential  non-official  interests  into  touch  with,  and 
support  of,  the  official  organization ; (/)  appoint  a Famine 
Commissioner  where  the  head  of  the  local  administration 
cannot  be  his  own  famine  commissioner ; (g)  create  from 
the  outset  a thoroughly  efficient  accounts  and  audit 
establishment. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  Commission,  the  wage  allowed 
and  the  gratuitous  relief  given  in  the  late  famine  were 
in  many  instances  too  liberal,  but  this  “was  due  not 
so  much  to  defects  in  the  system  of  relief  as  to  defects 
in  the  administration  of  it.”  The  Report  states  that 
“while  confirming  the  principles  enunciated  by  the 
Commission  of  1880,  the  Commission  of  1898  departed 
from  them  in  recommending  a more  liberal  wage  and  a 
freer  extension  of  gratuitous  relief.  Moreover,  their 
repeated  warnings  against  any  measures  of  relief  in- 

52 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


volving  an  element  of  risk  were,  in  effect,  an  invitation 
to  recede  from  the  strictness,  or,  as  we  prefer  to  call 
it,  the  prudent  boldness  of  the  former  policy.”  Coming 
to  the  subject  of  the  wage,  in  discussing  its  amount, 
the  Commission  condemn  strongly  the  “ minimum  wage” 
(i.e.,  a fixed  daily  wage  which  is  given  regardless  of  work 
done),  and  recommend  a system  of  “payment  by 
results,”  with  a maximum  limit  to  daily  earnings,  and 
with  relief  to  dependants.  Concerning  “gratuitous  re- 
lief” they  say,  “there  is  no  branch  of  famine  relief 
administration  in  which  it  is  more  difficult  to  hit  the 
happy  mean.”  They  divide  this  form  of  relief  into — 
(a)  relief  of  dependants  on  works;  ( b ) poor-houses; 
(c)  village  relief  by  doles;  and  (d)  kitchens,  with  a pref- 
erence for  the  dole  system. 


VI 


FAMINE  RELIEF 

“I  was  eyes  to  the  blind, 

Feet  was  I to  the  lame; 

I was  father  to  the  poor; 

The  cause  which  I knew  not, 

I searched  out.” 

It  will  remain  to  the  everlasting  credit  of  the  British 
government,  and  stand  as  an  example  of  man’s  humanity 
to  man,  that  when  India’s  “bitter  cry”  arose,  imperial 
and  private  funds  were  available,  and  famine  relief  in 
every  part  of  the  affected  area  was  commenced.  The 
expenditure  upon  famine  relief  on  the  part  of  the  im- 
perial government  was  enormous.  The  Viceroy,  Lord 
Curzon,  gave  before  the  Legislative  Council  the  fol- 
lowing statement: 

“ The  direct  expenditure  on  famine  relief  in  British 
India  and  Berar,  from  the  commencement  of  relief 
operations  to  the  end  of  August,  had  been  864  lakhs  of 
rupees.  It  is  estimated  that  the  further  expenditure 
will  be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  lakhs,  to  31st  of 
March,  making  in  round  numbers  about  ten  crores  of 
rupees  (over  £6, 500, 000).  In  loans  and  advances  to 
landholders  and  cultivators  we  have  expended  238  lakhs 
of  rupees ; we  have  made  advances  for  plough  cattle  and 
agricultural  operations  this  autumn,  free  of  interest,  on 
very  easy  terms,  in  the  expectation  that  not  more  than 

54 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


one-half  can  be  recovered.  In  the  matter  of  land  rev- 
enue the  latest  estimate  is,  that  of  392  lakhs  of  rupees 
in  Central  Provinces  and  Bombay,  164  lakhs  of  rupees 
will  be  uncollected  during  the  year.  In  the  distressed 
districts  of  the  Punjab,  suspensions  aggregating  41  lakhs 
of  rupees  are  anticipated.  With  these  figures  I compare 
those  for  the  famine  of  1896-97,  calling  attention  to  the 
fact  that  in  1896-97  the  area  of  population  in  British 
India  affected  by  famine  was  considerably  larger  than 
in  the  present  year.  The  total  direct  expenditure  on 
famine  relief  was  727  lakhs  of  rupees,  130  lakhs  were 
advanced  in  loans,  and  land  revenue  to  an  amount  of 
about  two  crores  was  suspended.  In  this  comparison  a 
further  outlay  in  connection  with  the  relief  of  native 
states  is  omitted  for  the  reason  that  in  1896-97  the 
calls  in  that  respect  were  insignificant.  The  present 
famine  loans  to  native  states  in  Rajputana  amounted 
to  sixty-nine  lakhs  of  rupees,  native  states  in  Bombay 
seventy-eight  lakhs  of  rupees.  Besides  guaranteeing 
the  repayment  of  loans  to  the  amount  of  105  lakhs 
borrowed  in  the  market  for  other  states,  government 
had  also  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  Hyderabad,  whose 
extensive  dominions  suffered  from  severe  drought.  In 
all,  actual  loans  to  native  rulers  in  connection  with 
the  present  famine  amounted,  in  the  aggregate,  to 
over  three  and  a half  crores,  exclusive  of  guaranteed 
loans.  Without  this  assistance,  it  may  be  safely  said 
that  the  states  would  have  been  wholly  unequal  to 
the  task  of  relieving  their  subjects  and  in  some 
cases  of  carrying  on  the  ordinary  administration  of  ter- 
ritories.” 

Learning  from  the  experience  of  the  past,  and  from 
the  facts  gathered  by  the  Famine  Commission,  which 
had  but  a short  time  before  completed  and  published 

55 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


its  report  of  the  famine  of  1897,  relief  works,  kitchens, 
poor-houses,  orphanages,  and  famine  camps,  with  com- 
mittees— imperial,  provincial,  and  local — and  officers 
of  many  grades  and  degrees  of  rank  and  efficiency  to 
superintend  them,  were  put  in  operation.  In  all,  it 
was  officially  stated,  637  English  and  native  servants 
of  the  crown  were  sent  on  famine  duty  in  British  and 
native  territory  by  the  imperial  government.  The 
one  great  object  was  to  save  life  and  mitigate  distress. 
Many  laid  down  their  lives  in  their  heroic  efforts  to  save 
life.  The  work  of  benevolence  commenced  in  earnest 
with  the  failure  of  the  rains  in  1899,  and  went  forward, 
increasing  in  extent  during  the  cold  season,  and  on 
through  the  raging  heat  of  1900,  rescuing,  relieving,  and 
feeding — ever  in  the  midst  of  starvation  and  death — 
sometimes  almost  overwhelmed  by  epidemics  of  disease 
— fever,  small-pox,  dysentery,  diarrhoea,  and  cholera — 
until  the  fruitful  showers  came  again  and  a harvest  gave 
food  to  the  hungry. 

It  was  a great  work.  But  when  it  was  over  the  highest 
authority  in  the  land  could  say  no  more  than  that 
“No  endeavors  which  are  in  the  power  of  the  most 
philanthropic  and  generous  of  governments  to  put 
forward  will  avail  to  prevent  an  increase  of  mortality 
during  severe  famine.  No  relief  system  in  the  world 
will  counteract  the  effects  of  reduced  food  supply,  the 
cessation  of  wages,  high  prices,  the  break-up  of  homes 
of  millions  of  people,  or  prevent  famine  being  attended 
by  pestilence.” 

Through  it  all  the  government  kept  official  reports  of 
the  numbers  availing  themselves  of  the  relief  afforded, 
which  were  also  tests  of  the  severity  of  the  famine  and 
a proof  of  the  enormous  work  done  to  relieve  the  people. 
In  March,  the  Viceroy  wired  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
India  as  follows: 

56 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


“Number  of  persons  in  receipt  of  relief:  Bombay, 
1,249,000;  Punjab,  211,000;  Central  Provinces,  1,513,- 
000;  Berar,  355,000;  Ajmir-Merwara,  112,000;  Rajpu- 
tana  States,  457,000;  Central  India  States,  129,000; 
Bombay  Native  States,  468,000;  Baroda,  60,000;  North- 
western Provinces,  3000;  Punjab  Native  States,  19,000; 
Central  Provinces  Feudatory  States,  46,000;  Hyderabad, 
246,000;  Madras,  11,000.  Total,  4,879,000.“ 

As  an  illustration  of  how  the  numbers  increased  as 
the  famine  grew  worse,  and  also  of  its  area,  I include 
on  the  following  two  pages  several  weekly  reports,  fur- 
nished during  the  months  of  May  and  August,  1900. 
The  third  report,  which  gives  almost  the  maximum 
numbers1  on  relief  works,  was  taken  after  the  monsoon 
burst,  but  before  any  harvest  was  gathered. 

Besides  this  relief,  received  and  administered  officially 
through  government  channels,  there  was  large  private 
help,  much  of  which  passed  through  the  hands  of  the 
Central  Relief  Committee,  but  many  lakhs  thus  con- 
tributed were  administered  by  special  committees  form- 
ed by  benevolent  societies.  Concerning  this  the  Viceroy 
said: 

“In  1896-97  the  total  collections  amounted  to 
170  lakhs,  of  which  10  remained  at  the  beginning  of 
the  recent  famine.  In  the  present  year  the  Central 
Relief  Committee  alone  received  close  upon  1 40 
lakhs,  not  far  short  of  £1,000,000  sterling.  Analyzing 
the  subscriptions,  we  find  that  India  contributed  about 
the  same  amount  as  in  1896-97 — about  32  lakhs.  . . . 
Collections  abroad  amounted  to  108  lakhs,  as  against 
137  in  1896-97.  The  United  Kingdom’s  contribution 

1 The  maximum  was  reached  in  the  second  week  in  August,  and 
amounted  to  more  than  six  million  three  hundred  thousand. 

57 


THE  NUMBER  OF  PERSONS  IN  RECEIPT  OF  RELIEF  DURING  THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  WEEKS  IN  MAY,  i9oo. 

IN  EACH  PROVINCE 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


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Central  India  States 

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Central  Provinces  Feudatory 

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58 


CONVALESCENTS  IN  TIIE  I’OOK-IIOUSE 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


THE  NUMBER  OF  PERSONS  IN  RECEIPT  OF  RELIEF  DURING  THE 
FIRST  WEEK  IN  AUGUST,  igoo,  IN  EACH  PROVINCE 


Name  of  Province 

Relief  works 

Gratuitous 

relief 

Total 

British  Provinces 

5,23t 

1,076,444 

14,293 

126,083 

374.434 
256, 6S4 
61,014 

3,100 

507,540 

7,719 

1,493 

43D48 

1,895,151 

167,819 

30,003 

8,331 

1,583,984 

22,012 

1,493 

169,231 

2,269,585 

424,473 

91,017 

Bombay  and  Sind 

N.  W.  P.  and  Oudh 

Central  Provinces 

Berar 

Ajmir-Merwara 

Total  British  Provinces 

1,914.153 

2, 655,973 

4.570,126 

Native  States 

Rajputana  States 

Central  India  States 

201 ,200 
71,908 
288 
355.142 
87,375 
335.424 

22,724 

I 2,064 
503 

114.422 

44,827 

104,978 

34,843 

67,700 

I9,4i9 

39,i9t 

315  622 
116,735 
288 
460,120 
122,218 
403,124 
42,143 
51,255 
503 

Bombay  Native  States 

Punjab  Native  States 

Central  Provinces  Feudatory  States .... 
Kashmir  (Jammu) 

Total  Native  States 

1 ,086,628 

425.380 

1,512,008 

Grand  Total 

3,000,781 

3.081,353 

6,082,134 

reached  88i-  lakhs,  and  compares  indifferently  with  132 
lakhs  in  1896-97,  but  the  circumstances  of  the  year 
must  be  remembered.  The  liberal  donation  of  Ger- 
many, at  the  instigation  of  the  Emperor,  has  been 
publicly  acknowledged;  and,  finally,  the  United  States, 
both  directly  and  by  means  of  privately  contributed 
gifts  of  money  and  grain,  has  once  more  shown  its 
vivid  sympathy  with  England’s  mission  and  India’s 
need.” 

A notable  instance  of  such  benevolence  was  the 
Christian  Herald  fund,  raised  through  the  efforts  of 
its  proprietor,  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch,  in  America.  Be- 
sides the  money  raised  and  sent  forward,  the  steam- 
ship Quito  was  loaded  with  200,000  bags  of  corn, 
valued  at  $100,000,  and  despatched  to  India,  arriving 

59 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


on  the  28th  of  June.  Concerning  this  great  work,  the 
editor  of  the  Christian  Herald  makes  the  following 
statement : 1 

“Our  readers  are  already  familiar  with  the  story  of 
the  inception  of  the  famine  fund— how,  late  in  the  fall 
of  1899,  yielding  to  the  entreaty  of  kind-hearted  Bishop 
Thoburn,  the  Christian  Herald  reopened  its  columns  on 
behalf  of  stricken  India,  although  it  had  but  lately 
closed  its  campaign  of  benevolence  for  the  famine  suf- 
ferers of  1897.  The  response  to  its  appeal  was  im- 
mediate and  spontaneous.  From  all  quarters  of  the 
Union,  and  even  from  other  lands,  letters  poured  in, 
vibrating  with  sympathy  for  the  afflicted  ones.  Gifts, 
sanctified  with  prayers,  came  in  a shower.  With  an 
efficient  organization  already  in  the  field,  the  actual 
work  of  relief  was  promptly  begun.  The  rest  is  his- 
tory— for  the  relief  stations  were  opened,  the  starving 
multitudes  fed  and  sheltered,  the  naked  clad,  the  sick 
tended  and  succored,  and  the  dying  consoled.  It  is 
proved  by  statistics  that,  as  a result  of  this  great  Christ- 
like  work  of  mercy,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  perishing 
men,  women,  and  children  were  snatched  from  the  brink 
of  the  grave. 

“As  to  the  material  resources  employed  in  this  greatest 
of  benevolent  campaigns,  the  official  statement  is  most 
instructive.  The  net  grand  total  of  the  relief  fund, 
from  all  sources,  was  $641 , 071.97.  This  sum  represented 
258,508  separate  remittances,  and  these  in  turn  rep- 
resented a much  larger  number  of  individuals,  as  some- 
times twenty,  or  even  thirty,  contributors  were  included 
in  one  letter.  Receipts  were  sent  to  all  contributors, 
involving  a vast  correspondence  and  the  necessary 


‘The  Christian  Herald,  May  1,  1901. 
60 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


stationery  and  postage,  each  acknowledgment  costing 
a little  over  two  cents.  Many  of  the  letters  called  for 
the  most  careful  consideration.  On  the  whole,  it  is 
probable  that  no  such  immense  volume  of  correspond- 
ence was  ever  before  conducted  so  economically.  The 
average  single  contribution — exclusive  of  the  $40,000 
granted  by  the  United  States  government  for  the  charter 
of  the  steamship  Quito  — was  about  two  dollars  and 
thirty -five  cents.  Our  own  Christian  Herald  readers 
are  to  be  congratulated  on  the  fact  that  they  contributed 
fully  one -half  of  the  entire  fund,  even  including  the 
government’s  gift. 

“Another  matter  exceedingly  gratifying  to  every  one 
who  helped  the  fund  is  that  the  value  of  the  Quito's 
cargo  of  American  corn,  on  reaching  India,  was  at  least 
double  its  value  here;  therefore,  the  corn  transaction, 
in  its  purely  commercial  aspect,  was  a fortunate  one, 
since  India  reaped  the  benefit  by  receiving  in  value 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  more  than  can 
be  indicated  in  the  official  report.’’ 

Besides  the  Christian  Herald  fund  there  were  a number 
of  others,  as  that  administered  by  the  Americo-Indian 
Famine  Relief  Committee,  Bombay,  of  which  the  Hon. 
W.  T.  Fee,  American  consul,  was  chairman,  and  the 
Sialkote  Mission  fund,  and  funds  raised  by  the  religious 
press,  as  the  Christian , London;  the  Guardian,  and  the 
Indian  Witness,  of  India.1  In  this  way  many  lakhs 
of  rupees  were  gathered  and  carefully  expended  in 
relieving  the  hunger  and  distress  of  the  people.  Up  to 
October,  1900,  the  sum  of  150  lakhs  had  been  con- 
tributed to  the  India  famine  fund  alone. 

1 Among  those  who  helped  largely  should  be  mentioned  Rev.  Colin 
S.  Valentine,  LL.D.,  F.R.C.S.E.,  Principal,  Agra  Medical  Mission, 
who  gathered  and  distributed  much  money  and  medicines. 

61 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


But  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be  done,  many  perished. 
Lord  Curzon  said,  on  October  19th,  before  the  Leg- 
islative Council  at  Simla:  “What  the  actual  mortal- 
ity may  have  been  it  is  impossible  to  tell  with  com- 
plete accuracy.  At  a later  date  the  forthcoming  census 
will  throw  useful  light  upon  the  problem.” 

On  the  2 1 st  of  March,  1901,  that  census  was  taken, 
and  although  the  full  returns  are  not  yet  published,  yet 
it  is  known  that  in  all  the  famine-stricken  provinces,  and 
especially  in  the  native  states,  there  has  been  an  almost 
startling  decrease,  as  the  following  table  will  show: 


Ajmir-Merwara 66,000 

Berar  144,000 

Central  Provinces  States  177,000 

Hyderabad  362,000 

Baroda 464,000 

Bombay  Proper  627,000 

Central  Provinces  938,000 

Bombay  States  1,167,000 

Central  India  States  1,816,000 

Rajputana  2,175.000 


In  India  the  normal  increase  in  population  is  one- 
half  per  cent,  per  annum,  and  this  proportion  is  within 
the  mark  in  ordinary  times,  so  that  during  the  past 
ten  years  not  only  has  the  normal  increase  of  a million 
been  overcome,  but  a decrease  of  nearly  eight  millions 
has  taken  place.  The  inference  is  that  the  greater  part 
of  this  decrease  is  the  result  of  the  awful  famines  with 
which  she  has  been  afflicted  during  the  last  decade. 

While  in  many  places  the  deaths  from  actual  starva- 
tion were  few,  on  account  of  the  excellent  relief  arrange- 
ments, yet  in  some  places  the  mortality  was  indescribable. 
As  has  been  shown  above,  the  death  rate  in  the  native 
states  was  very  high,  or,  as  the  Viceroy  describes  it, 
“shocking.”  In  the  Central  Provinces,  in  the  later 

62 


THE  CORN  SHIP  “ QUITO”  IN  BOMBAY 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


months  of  the  famine,  the  death  rate  ran  very  high,  in 
one  district  as  high  as  15.21  per  mille.  In  Gujarat  the 
following  figures  are  given:  “In  Broach,  the  monthly 
death  rate  rose  from  2.96  per  mille,  in  October,  1899, 
to  24.83  in  May,  1900.  In  the  Panch  Mahals  the  death 
rate  for  the  same  month  of  May  was  46.60  per  mille; 
in  Kaira  21.07;  in  Ahmedabad,  24.00.  These  rates 
include  deaths  from  cholera,  a most  virulent  wave 
of  which  swept  over  Gujarat  in  April,  although  it  is 
impossible  to  distinguish  accurately  between  the  mortal- 
ity for  which  cholera  was  directly  responsible  and  that 
which  was  due  to  other  diseases — to  debility,  to  pri- 
vations and  to  the  temporary  disorganization  of  the 
camp.” 

But  loss  of  human  life  was  not  the  only  one  resulting 
from  the  famine.  It  almost  annihilated  the  working 
capital  of  the  masses  of  the  people — the  agricultural 
classes — in  the  territory  affected.  “It  is  difficult,”  says 
the  Viceroy,  in  summing  up  the  material  losses  to  the 
empire — “it  is  difficult  to  express  in  figures,  with  any 
close  degree  of  accuracy,  the  loss  occasioned  by  so 
wide-spread  and  severe  a visitation,  but  it  may  rough- 
ly be  put  in  this  way:  The  annual  agricultural  pro- 
duction of  India  and  Burma  averages  in  value  between 
three  hundred  and  four  hundred  crores  of  rupees.  On 
a very  cautious  estimate  the  production  in  1899-1900 
must  have  been  at  least  one-quarter,  if  not  one-third, 
below  the  average.  At  normal  prices  the  loss  was  at 
least  seventy-five  crores,  or  fifty  million  pounds  sterling. 
In  this  estimate  India  is  treated  as  a whole,  but  in 
reality  the  loss  fell  on  a portion  only  of  the  continent, 
and  ranged  from  almost  total  failure  of  crop  in  Guja- 
rat, Berar,  Chhatisgarh,  and  Hissar,  and  in  many  of 
the  Rajputana  states,  to  twenty  and  thirty  per  cent, 
in  districts  of  the  Northwest  Provinces  and  Madras, 

63 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


which  were  not  reckoned  as  falling  within  the  famine 
tract.  If  to  this  be  added  the  loss  of  some  millions  of 
cattle,  some  conception  may  be  formed  of  the  destruction 
of  property  which  a great  drought  occasions.  There 
have  been  many  great  droughts  in  India,  but  there  has 
been  no  other  of  which  such  figures  could  be  predi- 
cated as  these.” 

Says  a recent  writer:1  “A  greater  danger  than  the 
mutiny  of  1857  not  only  threatens  but  has  actually 
overtaken  India,  in  the  impoverishment  of  the  people 
and  the  frequency  and  intensity  of  recent  famines.  And 
the  highest  type  of  courage  and  of  statesmanship,  such 
as  was  evinced  by  a Canning  and  a Lawrence  in  the  past, 
will  be  needed  once  more  to  save  the  empire,  to  moderate 
rents  and  taxes,  to  reduce  debts  and  expenditure,  to  deal 
with  India  as  England  deals  with  her  colonies  in  financial 
matters,  and  to  associate  the  people  of  India  in  the 
control  of  their  finances  and  the  administration  of  their 
own  concerns.” 

But  while  it  is  true  that  the  people  of  India  are  poor 
and  famines  are  frequent,  and  that  the  wisest  statesman- 
ship is  required  in  dealing  with  the  great  social,  economic, 
and  financial  problems  involved,  yet  such  writers  as 
the  above  should  remember  that  the  people  of  India 
were  poor  under  native  rule,  and  that  famines  were 
quite  as  frequent  and  more  fatal  to  life,  and  that  no 
change  of  administration  or  acts  of  Parliament  or 
measures  passed  by  the  Legislative  Council  can  modify 
or  intensify  the  southwest  monsoon. 

In  the  Report  of  the  Famine  Commission  of  1901  the 
subject  of  mortality  is  dealt  with  at  length,  and  it  is 
estimated  that  about  one  million  and  a quarter  perished 
in  British  districts  as  the  result  of  starvation  and  con- 


1 Romesh  Dutt,  Famines  in  India,  p.  20. 
64 


HEARING  AND  ATTENDING  TO  PETITIONS  OE  THE  POOR 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


comitant  diseases,  and  that  about  one -fifth  of  this 
mortality  was  caused  by  cholera,  and  that  immigrants 
from  native  states  accounted  for  about  a quarter  of  a 
million  deaths.  This,  of  course,  gives  a very  inadequate 
account  of  the  mortality  during  the  late  famine,  as  the 
inquiries  of  the  Commission  were  confined  to  British 
territory,  and  the  famine  was  largely  a native  state 
famine.  It  is  very  difficult  to  tabulate,  at  such  a time, 
mortuary  statistics,  for,  in  the  awful  stress  of  famine, 
thousands  die  far  away  from  the  sight  of  officials  and 
statisticians,  and  make  no  sign.  A correct  government 
census  report  in  the  year  after  the  famine  should  tell 
the  sad  story  more  correctly  than  anything  else,  and,  as 
we  have  seen  elsewhere,  it  leaves  a large  number  in  the 
famine  territory  on  the  dark  side.  The  Commission 
admit  a great  mortality,  and  in  endeavoring  to  account 
for  it,  say : “In  dealing  with  the  death  rate  of  the  recent 
famine,  special  allowance  must  be  made  for  three  facts : 
first,  the  extreme  and  unusual  rigor  of  the  winter  of 
1899-1900,  in  some  provinces;  secondly,  the  shortness 
of  the  water  supply,  which  led  to  its  pollution;  and, 
thirdly,  the  virulent  epidemic  of  malarial  fever  in  the 
autumn  of  1900,  which  affected  the  rich  as  well  as  the 
poor.” 

In  dealing  with  the  subject  of  the  cost  of  the  famine, 
the  late  Commission  state  that  an  unprecedented  amount 
was  spent  on  relief,  and  that  the  relief  afforded  was  in 
many  places  too  liberal.  The  enormous  sum  of  ten 
crores  of  rupees  was  spent  on  famine  relief  alone,  and, 
according  to  the  estimate  of  the  Commission,  when  the 
accounts  are  fully  made  up,  and  allowance  is  made  for 
remission  and  advances  of  revenue,  as  well  as  for  losses 
of  revenue  in  other  departments,  it  will  be  found  that 
the  late  famine  will  have  cost  the  state  not  less  than 
fifteen  crores  of  rupees,  or  ten  million  pounds  sterling, 
s 65 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 

or  fifty  million  dollars.  In  the  preceding  famine  the 
expenditure  was  less,  and  the  mortality  also  was  less, 
which  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact,  stated  else- 
where, that  the  late  famine  struck  a people  already  ex- 
hausted by  a previous  very  severe  famine  and  predis- 
posed to  demoralization. 


VII 


RAJPUTANA 

“All  her  people  sigh;  they  seek  bread;  they  have  given  their 
pleasant  things  for  meat.” — Lamentations,  i.,  n. 

Rajputana  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  Sind,  on 
the  north  and  east  by  the  Punjab  and  the  Northwest 
Provinces,  on  the  northwest  by  Bahawalpur,  and  on  the 
southeast  and  south  by  Gwalior  and  other  native  states. 
It  has  an  area  of  130,000  square  miles,  and  is  intersected 
by  the  Aravali  mountains,  which  chain  runs  northeast 
and  southwest.  The  most  of  the  territory  lies  north- 
west of  these  mountains,  and  is ’composed  mostly  of  sandy, 
barren  plains,  which,  in  the  extreme  west,  spread  out 
into  a great  desert.  In  all  this  great  northwest  territory 
there  is  only  one  river,  the  Loni,  which  takes  its  rise  in 
the  Pushkar  Valley,  near  Ajmir,  and,  flowing  southwest, 
terminates  in  the  Run  of  Cutch.  Notwithstanding  the 
barren  nature  of  the  country,  there  are  some  well-built 
and  moderately  prosperous  towns,  as  Bikanir  and 
Jodhpur.  The  country  southeast  of  the  Aravali  moun- 
tains is  more  fertile.  While  there  are  hilly  ranges  and 
much  rock,  yet  there  are  fertile  valleys  and  table-lands, 
and  there  are  the  four  rivers — Chambal,  Banas,  Sahar- 
mati,  and  Mahi.  But  Rajputana  is  a poorly  watered 
country.  In  the  western  part  the  average  rainfall  is 
only  about  fourteen  inches  during  the  whole  year,  and 
at  Bikanir  the  fall  often  does  not  exceed  nine  inches. 
At  Jaipur  it  is  twenty-four  inches.  Rajputana  is  a very 

67 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 

hot  country,  as  there  is  so  little  moisture  and  there  are 
such  plains  of  sand  absorbing  and  reflecting  the  burning 
rays  of  the  sun  during  the  day.  But  the  difference  be- 
tween the  day  and  the  night  is  very  marked. 

In  the  northwestern  part  of  Rajputana  only  one  crop 
is  raised  annually,  but  in  the  other  parts  they  gather 
two  crops.  The  principal  crops  grown  are  millets, 
wheat,  barley,  maize,  opium,  oil  seeds,  also  sugar-cane 
and  cotton.  In  the  more  barren  parts  camels,  cattle, 
and  sheep  are  raised.  Bikanir  is  famous  for  its  camels 
and  cattle.  Salt  and  opium  are  articles  of  commerce. 
The  main  body  of  the  people  cultivate  the  soil,  but  the 
Marwari  business-men — bankers  and  money-lenders — 
are  famous  throughout  India.  The  population  of  this 
apparently  barren  and  sandy  country  was,  in  1891, 
12,300,150;  but  the  census  taken  in  March,  1901, 
shows  that  there  has  been  a decrease  in  the  population 
during  the  last  decade  of  2,175,000,  which  must  be 
largely  accounted  for  by  the  awful  and  prolonged 
famine  through  which  it  has  passed. 

Towards  the  centre  of  Rajputana  lies  the  British 
district  of  Ajmir-Merwara,  the  capital  of  which  is  Ajmir, 
a city  of  about  fifty  thousand  inhabitants.  The  rest 
of  Rajputana  is  divided  into  twenty  feudatory  states,  of 
which  Jaipur,  Jodhpur,  Udaipur,  and  Bikanir  are  the 
largest.  The  leading  classes  in  Rajputana  are  Rajputs 
(480,000,  in  1881);  Brahmins  (901,000);  Mahajans,  or 
bankers  (634,000);  Chamars  (567,000);  Minnas  (428,- 
000);  Gujars  (403,000);  Jats  (426,000);  and  Ahirs,  or 
cow-herds  (131,000). 

The  political  status  allowed  to  these  native  states,  in 
keeping  with  the  policy  of  the  imperial  government 
throughout  the  empire  in  its  dealing  with  native  pro- 
tected states,  is  that  of  semi-independence.  As  has 
been  said:  “Under  Lord  Canning  the  existence  of 

68 


STARVING  VILLAGERS,  RAJPUTANA 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


native  states  was  guaranteed,  and  the  right  of  adoption 
was  conceded.  Even  great  crimes  on  the  part  of  princes 
do  not  now  lead  to  the  annexation  of  their  territories.” 

At  a public  dinner  in  Calcutta,  Lord  Lansdowne  said : 

“ I regard  it  as  a matter  of  first-rate  importance  that 
the  states  in  subordinate  alliance  with  her  Majesty 
should  be  governed  in  such  manner  that  we  need  have 
no  scruple  in  preserving  for  them  the  measure  of  in- 
dependence which  they  at  present  enjoy.  Not  only 
would  it  be  an  act  of  injustice  to  deprive  them  of  the 
privileges  of  self-government  to  which  they  are  entitled, 
but  it  would,  I am  convinced,  be  a distinct  misfortune 
to  the  empire  if  these  interesting  remnants  of  indig- 
enous rule  were  to  be  entirely  effaced.  They  may  not 
all  of  them  be  governed  entirely  in  accordance  with  our 
ideas  of  good  government,  but  it  is  a question  whether, 
in  spite  of  this,  they  do  not,  from  their  point  of  view, 
prefer  to  remain  under  their  own  rulers,  even  if  they  are 
denied  some  of  the  administrative  luxuries  which  we 
provide  for  the  people  of  British  India.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  the  territory  directly  under  the  government  of 
India  is  already  so  large,  and  our  tendency  to  govern  it 
in  accordance  with  uniform  principles  and  according 
to  stereotyped  methods  of  administration  is  so  strong, 
that  from  our  point  of  view  I should  regard  with  un- 
feigned regret  any  events  which  might  force  us  to  assume 
responsibility  of  any  part  of  the  large  areas  at  present 
governed  by  Indian  chiefs  and  rulers.  It  is  instructive, 
both  for  the  natives  of  this  country  and  for  Europeans, 
that  the  two  kinds  of  government  should  be  in  force 
side  by  side,  and  in  the  full  view  of  public  opinion.” 

There  are  three  things  which  caused  the  famine  in 
Rajputana  to  be  particularly  severe — viz.,  first,  the 

69 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


character  of  the  country  itself,  being  so  sandy — a “ dry 
and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is” — and  for  the  most 
part  producing  but  one  crop  a year ; and,  secondly,  a 
succession  of  bad  seasons  had  followed  each  other  from 
1897,  in  which  year  the  people  suffered  terribly;  and, 
thirdly,  indifference  and  lack  of  enterprise,  in  some  places, 
on  the  part  of  the  native  rulers.  In  most  places  in  Rajpu- 
tana  very  great  jealousy  of  foreign  enterprise  exists. 
There  is  but  little  encouragement  given  to  the  develop- 
ment of  industries,  either  on  the  part  of  outsiders,  who 
would  bring  in  capital  and  establish  various  forms  of 
industry,  or  on  the  part  of  indigenous  native  capitalists. 
I myself  tried  in  at  least  four  of  the  larger  states  to 
start  some  industrial  work,  but  was  politely  told  that 
the  rules  would  not  admit  of  it.  In  one  instance  I 
was  informed  that  “the  novelty  and  permanent  char- 
acter of  the  proposed  institution”  (an  industrial  school 
where  some  famine  waifs  could  be  taught  weaving)  “ have 
deterred  the  Durbar  from  sanctioning  the  application”; 
and,  after  thanking  the  committee  for  their  benevolent 
aid  during  the  famine,  the  reply  to  my  application 
concluded  by  saying:  “As  for  the  future,  the  Durbar  is 
not  prepared  to  intrust  the  maintenance  of  the  famine 
waifs  to  any  foreign  committee,  and  hence  the  establish- 
ment of  a permanent  institution  of  this  nature  in  the 
country  seems  unnecessary.”  And  this,  too,  where  the 
people  were  then  dying  off  by  the  hundreds  through 
starvation  and  disease,  and  when  our  committee  had 
kept  thousands  more  alive  for  months  with  the  Christian 
Herald  com  and  blankets,  200  bags  of  grain  and  many 
blankets  having  been  distributed  to  the  hungry  and 
naked  at  the  very  place  where  the  committee  desired 
to  continue  their  benevolent  work.  This  is  given  here 
merely  to  show  how  difficult  it  is  at  such  times  for 
native  rulers  to  grasp  the  situation  and  in  every  way 

7° 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


possible  save  their  people.  The  Viceroy  himself  address- 
ed the  native  chiefs  upon  the  matter  of  caring  for  their 
subjects,  and  it  is  a matter  of  history  that  Lord  George 
Hamilton,  the  Secretary  for  India,  speaking  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  said  that  the  Viceroy  was  sending  British 
officers  into  the  states  governed  by  native  rulers,  to  aid 
them  in  inaugurating  relief  measures.  In  former  fam- 
ines these  rulers  had  done  next  to  nothing  to  save  their 
people  from  dying  of  starvation;  but  now,  stirred  up 
by  the  example  of  the  British  government,  they  were 
desirous  of  relieving  the  suffering,  but  needed  help  in 
organizing.  The  officers  who  have  had  experience  are, 
therefore,  placed  at  their  service,  and  are  giving  valuable 
aid.  The  condition  of  the  people  in  these  native  states 
is  appalling.  The  news  has  reached  them  of  the  relief 
that  is  being  afforded  in  British  India,  and  large  numbers 
of  emaciated  creatures  are  being  met  on  all  the  roads 
leading  thither.  They  leave  behind  them  a ghastly 
trail  of  the  corpses  of  those  who  have  perished  by  the 
way,  many  of  the  people  not  having  started  until 
starvation  had  impaired  their  strength. 

Rev.  E.  S.  Hume,  Convener  of  the  Interdenominational 
Famine  Committee,  stated,  while  the  famine  was  raging: 

“ Distress  is  greatest  in  the  native  states,  where,  on 
account  of  their  independence,  British  control  is  least, 
and  where  native  rulers  are  more  indifferent  to  human 
life.  There  are  688  native  states,  and  more  than  five 
hundred  of  these  are  in  the  famine  district,  and  about 
half  of  them  are  in  the  Bombay  Presidency.” 

A “Political  Recluse,”  in  his  Letters  to  an  Indian 
Rajah,1  thus  speaks  of  some  of  the  obstacles  to  reform 


1 Letters  to  an  Indian  Rajah , p.  49. 

71 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


in  the  native  states:  “The  fact  is,  the  princes  are,  after 
all,  individuals,  and  are  not  only  subject  to  the  unwhole- 
some influences  of  their  early  training,  but  in  the  absence 
of  any  system  are  helplessly  in  the  hands  of  their  sur- 
roundings. Now  these  surroundings  consist  of  vest- 
ed interests  of  all  kinds,  in  whose  eyes  the  one  merit  on 
which  the  existence  of  the  state  rests  is  indiscriminate 
charity  to  idlers  of  all  sorts,  and  indulgence  to  the  privi- 
leged and  official  classes ; and  the  one  sin  is  strictness  in 
the  expenditure  of  the  taxes  or  justice  to  the  toiling  ryot. 
In  such  a situation  zeal  for  reform  and  love  of  economy 
cannot  be  expected  to  flourish,  nor  can  any  reforms,  if 
introduced  by  a strong-willed  ruler,  be  trusted  to  be  safely 
carried  out  for  the  time  or  continued  by  a successor.” 
There  is  no  doubt  that  an  Indian  rajah’s  greatest  foes 
are  “ those  of  his  own  household.”  Those  who  surround 
him  daily,  low  servants  and  attendants,  male  and  female, 
vile  flatterers  and  panegyrists,  humor  his  caprices  and 
encourage  him  in  indolence  and  vice.  Prevailing  polyg- 
amy leads  to  constant  feuds  and  intrigues,  while  ignorant 
officials  furnish  the  rajah  with  opinions,  if  not  wdth 
brains,  and  help  to  bring  about  and  perpetuate  bad 
government.  “ It  is  a matter  of  history,”  says  the  late 
principal  of  Rajkumar  College,  Rajkot,  “that  connected 
with  nearly  every  Durbar  are  persons,  generally  the 
most  influential,  who  hope  to  increase  their  own  influ- 
ence in  proportion  as  their  chief’s  capacity  is  diminished.” 
The  main  defect  in  feudatory  state  administration 
in  famine  time  is  apathy.  This  apathy,  or  indifference, 
was  observable  in  many  places,  but  it  was  scandalous 
in  at  least  two  places  — viz.,  in  Indore,  or  Holkar’s 
Dominions,  in  Central  India,  and  in  Bundi,  a native 
state  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Rajputana.  In  the 
first  case  it  seems  to  have  been  largely  the  fault  of  the 
maharajah,  who  was  apparently  indifferent  to  the  suf- 

72 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


ferings  of  his  people.  A report  of  the  matter  states: 
“The  council  unanimously  adopted  all  the  suggestions 
made  by  the  British  Resident,  particularly  in  respect 
of  relief  measures  in  Indore  territory,  in  Malwa  and 
Bhopawn,  where  the  distress  was  very  acute  in  January, 
1900;  but  the  maharajah  turned  a deaf  ear  to  his 
councillors  and  equally  to  the  Resident.  On  February 
5 th  the  minister  reported  to  the  latter  that  the  council 
could  do  nothing,  as  his  Highness  absolutely  refused  to 
sanction  expenditure,  and  had  peremptorily  ordered  the 
stoppage  of  all  famine  relief,  together  with  the  immediate 
refund  of  advances  in  cash  already  made,  and  had 
further  declined  to  permit  any  suspension  of  revenue. 
This  was  at  the  very  time  that  hundreds  of  the  maha- 
rajah’s subjects  were  declared  by  his  own  officials  to  be 
starving,  the  deaths  in  Rampur  and  Bhanpura  exceed- 
ing thirty  a day.  The  state  was  not  in  an  impoverished 
condition,  for  there  were  several  crores  of  rupees  in  the 
treasury,  but  the  council  could  not  touch  an  anna  with- 
out orders  from  the  maharajah.  It  looked  as  if  extreme 
measures  would  have  to  be  taken,  but  at  length  his 
Highness  yielded  reluctantly  to  the  pressure  put  upon 
him.  But  the  mischief  had  been  done,  and  many  hun- 
dreds of  persons  perished  before  relief  could  reach  them.” 
In  the  case  of  Bundi,  both  rajah  and  council  seem  to 
have  been  criminally  negligent,  for,  in  January,  1900, 
the  agent  to  the  Governor-General  in  Rajputana  reported 
to  government  that  when  he  found  that  nothing  was 
being  done  to  save  the  people,  he  wrote  to  the  rajah, 
urging  upon  him  the  necessity  of  adopting  “more  com- 
prehensive and  liberal  measures  than  those  hitherto 
contemplated  for  the  relief  of  his  distressed  subjects.” 
But  after  waiting  three  months,  with  death  in  the 
mean  time  playing  havoc  among  the  people,  the  agent 
wrote  again  that  “The  Bundi  Durbar  are  slack  and 

73 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


apathetic,  and  still  quite  fail  to  realize  their  respon- 
sibility, they  regard  the  mortality  as  inevitable,  the 
result  of  a natural  visitation  which  they  are  unable 
to  encounter.”  What  was  the  result?  The  people 
starved  to  death  by  the  hundreds.  The  census  showed 
that  in  the  ten  years,  1891  to  1901,  the  population  of 
Bundi  had  decreased  forty -two  per  cent.  — in  other 
words,  that  nearly  half  the  population  had  disappeared. 
Making  all  due  allowance  for  emigration,  it  is  difficult 
to  resist  the  conclusion  that  famine  mainly  accounted 
for  the  decrease  of  124,400  in  this  period,  and  that  the 
culpable  neglect  of  duty  on  the  part  of  the  chief  and  his 
Durbar  had  much  to  say  to  the  mortality  which  un- 
questionably occurred. 

Concerning  the  conduct  of  famine  relief  in  native 
states,  the  Viceroy  has  publicly  stated: 

“In  a few  native  states  the  duty  of  succoring  their 
subjects  had  been  so  neglected  by  the  Durbars  as  to 
need  strong  interference,  and  in  others  the  good  inten- 
tions of  the  rulers  were  frustrated  by  the  dishonesty 
and  peculation  of  subordinate  officials,  who  could  not 
resist  turning  even  the  starvation  of  their  fellow-creatures 
to  their  own  profit.  In  the  majority  of  cases  the  chiefs 
have  shown  the  most  laudable  disposition  to  adopt 
our  methods  of  relief,  so  far  as  the  resources  and  agency 
at  their  command  have  permitted.  In  some  of  the 
Rajputana  states,  especially  Jaipur,  Jodhpur,  Bikanir. 
and  Kishangarh,  arrangements,  admirably  planned  and 
carried  out  by  the  rulers  themselves,  aroused  the  ad- 
miration of  persons  familiar  with  the  famine  system  of 
British  provinces.” 

The  late  famine  was  largely  a famine  of  the  native 
states.  Of  the  sixty  millions  seriously  affected,  fully 

74 


FAMINE-STRICKEN 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


thirty-five  millions  were  the  subjects  of  feudatory  states. 
Compared  with  the  great  famine  from  which  many  of 
the  places  were  not  yet  recovered,  the  tendency  was  for 
the  centre  of  gravity  to  shift  more  to  the  west.  Roughly 
speaking,  it  may  be  said  that  all  the  native  states  with- 
in the  territory  embraced  by  the  Sutlej,  Jumna,  and 
Nerbudda  rivers  endured  this  awful  visitation.  It  made 
the  suffering  all  the  worse,  for  the  standard  of  relief  in 
native  states  was  far  below  that  given  in  British 
territory,  and  it  was  the  policy  of  the  imperial  govern- 
ment to  allow  the  various  feudatory  states  to  initiate 
and  conduct  their  own  famine  relief.  Concerning  the 
difference  in  the  standard  of  relief  adopted  in  the  re- 
spective areas,  it  has  been  stated:  “In  Bikanir  and 

Jodhpur  the  numbers  relieved  in  any  month  never 
exceeded  six  per  cent,  of  the  nominal  population,  while 
in  the  British  districts  of  Ajmir  - Merwara  twenty-five 
per  cent,  of  the  population  were  for  months  on  relief. 
Even  in  the  states  under  the  Bombay  government,  in 
which,  for  various  reasons,  the  initiative  and  supervision 
of  the  political  officers  were  more  in  evidence  than  in 
central  India  and  Raj pu tana,  the  scale  of  relief  was  very 
different  from  that  in  Gujarat.  In  Kathiawar  the 
numbers  on  relief  never  exceeded  thirteen  per  cent,  of 
the  population.  In  Palanpur  they  reached,  but  did  not 
exceed,  fifteen  per  cent,  in  one  month  alone.  In  the 
same  month  (July,  1900)  one -third  of  the  aggregate 
population  of  the  four  distressed  districts  of  Gujarat 
was  on  relief.  The  two  great  states  of  Baroda  and 
Hyderabad  flank  the  Bombay  territory  on  the  north  and 
east.  In  Hyderabad  and  Baroda  the  numbers  on  relief 
never  rose  to  five  per  cent,  of  the  nominal  population; 
and  yet  both  states  were  visited  by  drought  and  famine 
not  less  severely  than  the  adjoining  districts  of  the 
Bombay  Presidency.  Meanwhile,  the  difference  in  the 

75 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


standards  of  relief  was  further  testified  by  the  eagerness 
with  which  thousands  of  fugitives  streamed  across  the 
border  from  native  states  into  British  territory,  where 
they  passed  themselves  off  as  British  subjects,  in  hope 
of  enjoying  the  superior  wages  and  comforts  of  our 
relief  works,  our  poor-houses,  and  our  hospitals.” 


VIII 


TREKKING 

‘He  wandereth  abroad  for  bread.” — Job,  xv.,  23. 

The  physical  conditions  in  Rajputana  are  such  that 
when  famine  begins  it  does  its  work  quickly,  and  the 
poor  people  must  either  have  relief  brought  to  them 
without  delay  or  they  must  leave  their  villages  and 
trek  away  in  search  of  it,  or  remain  at  home  and  die. 
It  more  often  occurs  that  hunger  drives  them  out  and 
away,  never  to  return.  The  great,  sandy  plains  of 
Marwar  and  Bikanir  furnish  but  scanty  food  in  the  best 
of  years,  but  in  famine  time  there  is  literally  nothing 
left  but  sand.  In  Rajputana  nature  is  either  very  kind 
or  exceedingly  rough.  In  ordinary  years  the  soil,  which 
seems  to  be  nothing  but  sand,  produces,  with  but  very 
little  labor,  enough  for  the  frugal  Rajput  Marwari  to 
live  upon.  Cattle  and  sheep  and  goats  abound.  There 
are  no  rivers  or  canals,  but  wells  are  sunk  and  give 
enough  water  for  ordinary  purposes.  In  the  hilly  parts 
artificial  dams  are  made,  which  store  surplus  water  from 
the  rains  and  which  fertilize  the  valleys  below.  Nine 
inches  of  rain  at  Bikanir  produces  the  annual  crop 
upon  which  the  people  subsist.  But  in  famine  times  all 
is  changed.  The  rain  never  fell  in  parts  of  Rajputana 
for  three  years.  The  wells  soon  became  dry.  Green 
fields  became  barren  plains  of  drifting,  blinding  sand, 
reflecting  the  torrid  rays  of  the  pitiless  sun.  Day  after 
day  the  condition  of  the  poor  villager  became  worse. 

77 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


His  little  store  soon  became  exhausted.  Remote  from 
city  and  railway,  and  often  out  of  the  sphere  of  famine 
relief,  when  the  worst  came,  he  must  shift  for  him- 
self. Patient  and  stolid  fatalist  that  he  is,  a believer  in 
Maya,  and  Karam,  and  Awagawan,  in  delusion,  fate, 
and  transmigration — his  gnawing  hunger  and  the  awful 
sufferings  of  his  family  insist  upon  his  being  practical 
and  looking  about  for  food.1 

As  has  already  been  pointed  out,  he  believes  that  his 
only  hope  is  in  migrating;  and  so  he  gathers  all  to- 
gether, his  family  and  his  cattle,  and  starts  off  in  search 
of  food  and  water.  A number  of  villagers  have  united, 
and  they  move  slowly  onward,  each  night  sleeping 
under  the  open  sky,  in  the  field  or  at  the  road  - side, 
wherever  they  happen  to  be  when  night  overtakes  them. 
They  plod  on  through  the  broiling  sun,  each  day  be- 
coming weaker  and  fewer  in  number,  with  little  hope 
of  finding  food  for  man  or  beast.  The  vulture  and  the 
hide  and  bone  dealer  follow  and  make  much  profit. 

On  the  Brindaban  road  I met  a more  fortunate  com- 
pany, which  had  travelled  all  the  way  from  Bikanir 
state  thus  far  on  their  journey  in  quest  of  food  and 
work.  There  were  several  hundreds  of  them.  They 
had  brought  all  they  possessed  in  the  wrorld  along  with 
them,  and  had  been  travelling  for  several  months.  They 
only  had  a few  cattle  with  them,  and  the  men  and  women 
were  carrying  their  earthly  goods— a few  bundles  of 
clothing,  some  pots  and  vessels,  rude  stone  grinding- 
mills,  and  boxes,  bags,  ropes,  strings,  and  other  mis- 
cellaneous small  articles  which  they  had  saved  from 


1 The  Report  of  the  late  Famine  Commission  (1901)  says  that  “ In 
certain  states  the  failure  of  the  water-supply  left  no  alternative  but 
emigration,”  and  in  some  cases  the  inadequacy  of  native  relief  and 
the  liberality  of  British  help  proved  a strong  incentive  to  leave  home 
and  run  the  risk  of  dying  on  the  way. 

78 


ON  THE  WAY 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  wreck.  Little  children  were  either  running  along 
by  the  mother’s  side  or  were  being  carried  on  tired 
shoulders.  They  were  a sad,  forlorn,  silent  company 
of  wanderers.  They  were  in  search  of  food.  They  had 
left  houses  and  lands,  homes  and  associations,  to  go  out 
into  a land  that  they  knew  not  of.  I asked  them  where 
they  came  from  and  they  said  “ Bikanir.”  And  whither 
going?  “ In  search  of  food  and  work.”  And  where  did 
they  expect  to  find  it?  “Where  God  shows.”  And 
they  were  moving  on  and  on.  Some  of  these  lived  to 
get  back  to  their  wrecked  homes,  for  the  state,  ill 
affording  to  lose  its  subjects  when  none  too  thickly 
populated  at  best,  sent  for  them  and  other  wanderers, 
and  carried  them  back  in  a special  train.  But,  alas,  for 
those  who  wandered  away  into  central  India  and  into 
Gujarat ! 

The  villager’s  knowledge  of  geography  is  limited.  His 
attachment  to  his  own  vine  and  fig-tree  is  strong.  It 
is  only  when  the  vine  and  fig-tree  wither  and  he  can  get 
neither  cash,  kind,  nor  credit,  when  his  cattle  are  lowing 
for  food  and  his  little  ones  crying  for  bread,  that  he 
thinks  of  leaving  the  old  home  to  go  out  into  a place 
that  he  knows  not  of,  in  obedience  to  a vague  rumor  that 
he  will  find  something  to  take  away  the  awful  gnawing 
of  hunger.  But,  as  a rule,  he  is  disappointed.  Wrote 
a missionary  from  Gujarat : 

“ More  than  a score  have  died  in  front  of  my  house, 
and  perhaps  hundreds  have  died  on  the  road-sides  in 
the  town.  They  came  there  from  the  native  states, 
and  by  the  time  they  get  there  are  too  far  gone  to  work, 
and  lie  down  to  die.  One  old  woman,  with  her  four 
sons,  three  grandchildren,  and  two  daughters-in-law, 
came  from  a long  distance,  hoping  to  get  relief  in  some 
way,  and  failing  to  find  work,  and  worn  and  weakened 

79 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


by  the  journey,  became  hopeless,  and  one  after  another 
died,  till  all  her  sons  and  their  wives  and  two  of  the 
children  had  died,  and  the  poor  old  woman  was  sent 
back  with  one  grandchild  to  her  country. 

“ This  is  only  one  of  many  instances  of  the  sights  that 
came  to  the  notice  of  our  missionaries.  The  living, 
dying,  and  the  dead  skeletons  are  multiplying  on  all 
sides  now,  and  only  God  will  ever  fully  comprehend 
what  the  suffering  of  the  next  months  will  be.” 

In  like  manner,  Rev.  C.  B.  Newton,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission  at  Jalandhar  City,  north  India,  wrote:  ‘‘Hun- 
dreds of  people  have  been  coming  into  our  northern 
province  from  central  India  and  Rajputana  for  two 
months  past.  They  report  an  absolute  failure  of  the 
crops  there  and  the  most  utter  destitution.  There  are 
many  women  and  children  among  them,  all  looking 
terribly  hungry.  These  gaunt  refugees  fill  our  streets, 
and  their  piteous  cries  can  be  heard  night  and  day. 
Our  difficulties  are  increased  by  the  rise  in  the  price 
of  food.  The  rates  are  now  as  high  as  they  were  in 
1897,  when  the  famine  was  most  severe.”  And  so  Dr. 
Klopsch  witnessed  during  his  tour  in  Gujarat.  He  says : 
“After  early  lunch  and  family  prayers  at  the  house  of 
Rev.  T.  M.  Hudson,  we  left  Baroda,  travelling  eastward, 
witnessing  a succession  of  scenes  of  suffering,  desolation, 
and  misery.  The  rivers  were  dried  up,  and  along  their 
sun  - baked,  kiln  - dried  beds,  countless  thousands  of 
ragged,  haggard,  foot-sore  beggars  wandered  aimlessly. 
They  were  bound  they  knew  not  whither.  How  many 
of  them  reached  anywhere  alive,  God  only  knows.  They 
were  literally  walking  skeletons.  They  frequently  died 
in  their  tracks.  Thirty  left  a village  for  the  relief  works. 
Ten  died  while  there.  Ten  died  on  the  road,  homeward 
bound.  Ten  are  awaiting  death  in  the  village  to  which 

80 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


they  returned.  These  wanderers  sink  by  the  way-side 
from  absolute  exhaustion.  Then,  if  near  a village,  they 
are  picked  up  and  carted  to  the  hospital.  They  arrive 
unconscious,  but  their  sunken  eyes,  heaving  chests,  and 
hollow  stomachs  tell  their  own  terrible  story  of  incon- 
ceivable torture.  Two  girls  were  thus  picked  up.  They 
retained  consciousness,  but  speech  had  become  painful. 
They  were  offered  food.  ‘Sahib,’  said  the  elder  girl, 
‘ we  have  not  eaten  for  four  days.  If  we  take  food  now 
we  shall  die.  Let  us  rest  until  evening  and  then  feed 
us.’  She  died  that  day.  The  tissues  and  glands  of 
her  stomach  were  completely  withered  away.  Truly, 
the  present  India  famine  is  the  most  appalling  tragedy 
the  world  has  ever  witnessed.” 

Mr.  Karmarkher,  of  Ahmadnagar,  thus  wrote  of  the 
condition  of  the  farmers : 

“ For  months  they  have  been  away  from  home.  Their 
cattle  were  all  sold  off  for  a song  at  the  beginning  of 
the  famine.  Their  farming  implements  and  rude  equip- 
ments were  all  disposed  of  when  they  first  left  home. 
Their  household  goods,  their  ornaments,  cooking  utensils, 
even  their  personal  clothing,  have  all,  one  after  the  other, 
been  exchanged  for  food.  The  very  houses  they  lived 
in  have  been  molested  by  straggling  robbers,  who  have 
torn  away  parts  of  the  roof,  or  dragged  off  doors  and 
other  wood-work,  and  in  many  cases  left  the  house  quite 
uninhabitable.  At  the  relief  camps  these  farmers  and 
laborers  have  earned  a bare  pittance,  and  managed  to 
keep  soul  and  body  together.  Some  have  lost  their 
children  in  these  camps,  others  have  lost  husbands, 
fathers,  brothers,  wives,  or  sisters,  and  are  reduced 
sadly  in  strength  by  extreme  exposure,  unrelenting 
toil,  and  insufficient  food.  Few  have  little  hope  left 
for  anything.  Now,  what  will  these  people  in  this 
6 81 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


condition,  returning  to  their  former  places  and  work, 
do? 

“ To  begin  with,  what  will  they  live  on?  What  have 
the  farmers  left  to  prepare  the  soil  with  ? No  cattle ; not 
even  the  members  of  the  family  number  the  same  as 
when  they  left.  What  will  they  sow  the  ground  with? 
There  is  no  seed;  certainly  no  money  to  purchase  it 
with ; money-lenders  will  not  heed  their  cries ; they  have 
nothing  to  pawn ; they  are  stripped  to  the  skin,  and  will 
be  helpless  as  their  own  six  months’  old  babes.  Further- 
more, from  ploughing  and  sowing  to  the  time  of  reap- 
ing three  months  must  pass.  They  have  nothing  with 
which  to  pay  day-laborers ; if  they  have  to  wait  for  rain, 
their  wells  are  dry,  and  would  be  of  little  use.  It  will 
be  a situation  little  short  of  despair.  If  the  ploughing 
and  sowing  and  harvest  are  interrupted,  the  famine  goes 
on  unmolested,  and  only  increasing ; a country  like  this, 
with  these  months  of  famine  followed  by  a delayed 
harvest,  will  be  a doomed  land.  As  one  remarked,  there 
would  be  little  left  to  do  except  for  each  one  to  dig  his 
own  grave  or  to  touch  the  torch  to  his  funeral  pile.” 

The  late  Famine  Commission  state  that  “ all  who  died 
in  British  districts  were  not  British  subjects.  Very 
many  were  immigrants  from  native  states  who  came 
across  the  border  in  a deplorable  condition.”  They 
estimate  that  about  a quarter  of  a million  of  these  died 
on  British  soil.  “We  have  come,”  they  say,  “to  the 
general  conclusion  that  immigration  was  undoubtedly 
very  extensive,  that  it  hampered  the  British  administra- 
tion, and  that  it  greatly  affected  the  mortality.”  For 
the  future,  they  “ strongly  recommend  that  the  following 
ends  should  be  carefully  kept  in  view  and  enforced  by 
British  officers  on  frontier  districts — namely,  (a)  the 
identification  of  immigrants;  (6)  their  collection  into 

82 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


gangs  or  bodies ; and  ( c ) the  transfer  of  these  bodies  to 
the  care  of  the  states  to  which  they  belong.”  This 
policy  may  be  just  enough,  but  God  pity  the  immigrants 
thus  sent  back  to  that  condition  of  things  from  which 
they  have  fled  in  utter  dispair ! 


IX 


THE  BHILS 

“The  peasant,  whose  lot  was  to  sow  and  to  reap; 

The  herdsman,  who  climbed  with  his  goats  up  the  steep; 
The  beggar,  who  wandered  in  search  of  his  bread — 
Have  faded  away,  like  the  grass  that  we  tread.” 

If  you  are  in  Ajmir,  and  pay  a visit  to  that  beautiful 
building,  the  Mayo  College,  established  for  the  education 
of  the  young  nobles  of  Rajputana,  and  enter  the  spacious 
hall  from  the  front,  you  will  see  before  you  the  crest  of 
the  institution,  upon  which  is  inscribed  the  appropriate 
motto,  “Let  there  be  light.”  Upon  this  crest  also  is 
the  figure  of  a man  of  rough,  sturdy  appearance,  with 
dishevelled  hair  and  scanty,  coarse  garments,  and  hold- 
ing in  his  hand  and  upon  his  arm  the  symbols  of  his  clan 
— the  bow  and  shield.  He  is  a Bhil — the  aborigine  of 
Rajputana.  Although  rude  in  appearance,  and  ruder 
still  in  habits  of  life,  yet  he  is  held  in  great  esteem,  as 
belonging  to  an  ancient  family,  and  at  the  coronation 
of  the  highest  Rajput  chiefs,  in  those  states  where  he 
has  his  home,  the  ceremony  is  not  complete  until  the 
head  of  the  Bhil  clan  has  impressed  upon  the  forehead 
the  sacred  mark  of  kingship,  and  until  this  has  been  done 
the  Bhils  refuse  to  pay  homage  to  him  as  their  king.1 
These  Bhils  are  found  especially  at  Khandesh,  in  the 
Bombay  Presidency,  and  in  Gujarat,  and  in  the  hill 


1 Colonel  Todd’s  Annals,  vol.  ii.,  p.  1368. 
84 


BHIL  BOWMEN,  RAJl’UTANA 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


country  of  Rajputana.  “The  Bhils,”  writes  the  Rev. 
C.  H.  Gill,  Secretary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
“live  a hand-to-mouth  existence  in  their  own  hilly 
country  in  Rajputana,  Gujarat,  and  central  India.  The 
population  is  sparse,  and  their  villages,  or  pals,  are 
spread  over  large  areas.  No  house  is  nearer  than  an 
arrow’s  shoot  from  its  neighbor.  They  all  carry  bows 
and  arrows,  as  an  Englishman  carries  his  walking-stick, 
and  they  are  fond  of  fighting.  They  set  no  value  on 
human  life,  and  scorn  the  pain  of  an  arrow  wound ; but 
it  is  strange  how  they  will  run  away  from  the  sight  of  a 
surgeon’s  lancet.  For  their  mutual  protection  and 
safety  they  keep  their  houses  far  enough  apart  to  enjoy 
an  artillery  duel  of  arrows  between  them.’’ 

For  the  first  time  in  many  years  famine  came  upon 
this  hardy,  brave,  and  primitive  people.  There  were 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  of  them,  but  nearly 
half  have  been  carried  off  by  famine.  One  reason  for 
this  great  mortality  lies  in  the  fact  that  most  of  them 
live  in  jungles  and  in  the  mountains,  in  inaccessible 
places,  remote  from  cities  and  railways,  making  it  dif- 
ficult to  reach  them  with  relief.  They  are  poorer  also 
than  others  living  in  more  favored  parts,  and  con- 
sequently have  less  to  fall  back  upon  of  what  may  be 
called  “staying  power.”  We  have  already  seen  some- 
thing of  the  suffering  and  mortality  in  the  Bombay 
Presidency  and  in  Gujarat. 

In  1881,  Charles  Steward  Thompson  was  appointed 
by  the  Church  Missionary  Society  to  work  among  the 
Bhils  in  Kherwara,  in  Rajputana.  He  continued  his 
indefatigable  labors  there  till  last  year,  when,  all  alone 
under  a tree,  far  away  from  his  own  countrymen,  in 
the  midst  of  his  work  among  the  famine-stricken,  he 
was  struck  down  by  cholera,  and  died  before  any  one 
could  reach  him.  Concerning  the  death  of  this  good 

85 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


man,  the  Rev.  Arthur  Outram,  his  colleague  in  the  work, 
wrote,  on  May  20th,  the  day  after  his  death:  “Mr. 
Thompson  has,  indeed,  given  himself  for  the  people 
he  loved,  and  has  died  in  harness,  surrounded  by  faithful 
Bhil  followers.  He  loved  them  and  they  loved  him, 
and  he  has  been  true  to  them  to  the  death,  and  they 
to  him;  for  by  this  time  I fear  that  Bhagwana,  his 
faithful  bearer  and  cook,  must  have  passed  away;  for 
wiien  I reached  him,  a little  after  midnight,  he  was  almost 
past  medical  aid.  He  nursed  Thompson  up  to  the  very 
end,  and  was  seized  himself  the  very  hour  Thompson 
died.  Last  evening  (Saturday,  May  19th)/’  continues 
Mr.  Outram,  “ I received  an  urgent  message  by  runners, 
saying  Thompson  was  very  ill,  and  was  starting  from 
Baulia  on  a charpoy  (string  cot).  I had  food,  and  rode 
off  with  medicines,  etc.,  at  ten  o’clock,  accompanied 
by  two  sawars,  and  reached  Kanbai  (Kalbay)  at  1.15 
a.m.  There  I found  the  sad  procession,  and  learned 
that  poor  Thompson  had  left  Baulia  at  3 a.m.  the 
previous  morning,  in  an  endeavor  to  push  through  to 
Kherwara,  or  until  I met  him.  But  at  Jhejudi,  half- 
way between  Baulia  and  Bilaria,  he  told  the  bearers  to 
stop  under  a big  tree,  and  there  he  peacefully  passed 
away  at  noon,  too  weak  to  give  any  particular  messages, 
simply  sending  loving  salaams  to  us  all.  Bhagwana  was 
then  seized ; so  the  bearers  brought  the  body  and  Bhag- 
wana right  through  to  Kanbai,  seventeen  miles,  and 
there  I met  the  party.  I at  once  had  a grave  dug  on 
a hill  opposite  the  Kanbai  School,  thinking  that  he 
would  have  liked,  as  it  were,  to  be  in  sight  of  his  own 
work,  and  we  laid  his  body  to  rest.” 

About  the  same  time,  Mr.  Outram  wrote  to  the  Bom- 
bay Guardian , giving  an  account  of  Mr.  Thompson’s 
death,  and  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  money  which 
had  been  forwarded  for  his  famine  work,  and  which 

86 


AT  LAST 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


had  arrived  too  late  to  reach  him.  In  this  he  said: 
“ The  work  he  has  left  now  devolves  upon  me,  in  addition 
to  my  own.  So  now  I have  5500  children,  feeding  twice 
daily,  in  fifteen  centres  in  Gujarat  (which  was  Mr. 
Thompson’s  work),  and  seven  centres  on  the  Udaipur 
side  (of  which  I have  had  charge),  the  whole  nearly 
contained  in  the  area  covered  by  an  equilateral  triangle 
with  sixty-mile  sides.  I regret  to  say  that  cholera  is 
raging  throughout  the  country,  greatly  increasing  our 
difficulties.  In  one  of  the  centres  alone  eighty  children 
died  last  week.” 

A gathering  of  missionaries  of  the  Punjab  Church 
Missionary  Society  met  at  Amritsar  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1900,  to  consider  “how  best  they  could  lend  a hand  to 
their  overtaxed  brethren,  a thousand  miles  to  the  south, 
as  they  wrestled  in  unequal  conflict  with  famine  and 
disease.”  The  object  was  to  support  and  supplement 
existing  work  rather  than  to  inaugurate  any  fresh  work 
of  their  own.  Mr.  Thompson  having  died,  the  first 
question  to  be  settled  was,  who  is  to  carry  on  the  relief 
■work  in  the  centres  under  his  charge?  Later  on,  death 
claimed  its  tribute  alike  from  the  Scottish  United  Pres- 
byterian Mission  in  Rajputana  and  the  Irish  Presby- 
terian Mission  in  Gujarat.  Was  there  any  way  in  which 
the  Punjab  could  go  to  the  rescue  there  also?  “We 
have,”  states  the  report  of  the  committee,  “ merely  acted 
as  auxiliaries,  not  as  an  independent  force.  Any  work, 
therefore,  that  our  volunteers  have  effected  implies  a 
previous  wealth  of  effort  on  the  part  of  those  who  were 
on  the  spot  from  the  beginning,  and  who,  in  some  cases, 
began  their  struggle  with  the  famine  as  early  as  last 
February.  In  like  manner,  as  regards  actual  funds, 
even  the  workers  wTho  went  from  us  have  received  the 
main  portion  of  their  financial  support  from  those  under 
whose  immediate  guidance  they  are  working,  leaving 

87 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


us  free  to  supplement  this,  or  other  relief  work,  as  we 
saw  opportunity. 

To  begin,  now,  with  the  C.  M.  S.  Bhil  Mission,  lying 
almost  entirely  in  native  states.  Until  Mr.  Thompson’s 
death,  he  was  working  alone  on  the  Gujarat  side,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Outram  alone  in  the  Rajputana  portion. 
Mr.  Thompson’s  death  was  the  signal  for  reinforcements. 
The  first  volunteers  to  arrive  were  from  the  Northwest 
Provinces — the  Rev.  Foss  Westcott,  of  the  S.  P.  G.,  to 
assist  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Outram,  the  Rev.  E.  P.  Herbert  and 
Mr.  J.  C.  Harrison  for  the  Gujarat  work,  which  was  the 
heavier  of  the  two  on  this  side.  They  had  six  different 
stations,  and  were  feeding  6000  people  daily,  and  their 
appeal  for  further  reinforcements  gave  the  Punjab  the 
opportunity  for  taking  its  share  in  the  up-hill  battle. 
Altogether,  a complete  eleven  of  Punjabis  spent  some 
time  at  work,  either  in  the  C.  M.  S.  Bhil  Mission  itself 
or  with  its  next-door  neighbor,  the  Rev.  T.  S.  Stevenson, 
of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Mission,  at  Parantij.  Others 
also  offered,  but  attained  not  into  the  first  eleven.  The 
first  to  start  were  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Browne  and  the  Rev. 
E.  Rhodes,  who  reached  the  famine  region  about  the 
middle  of  July.  Leaving  Mrs.  Browne  to  give  a helping 
hand  at  Parantij,  the  two  men  pushed  on  to  Baulia  and 
Bilaria,  distant  some  twenty  and  forty  miles,  respective- 
ly, from  the  rail-head.  They  found  Messrs.  Herbert 
and  Harrison  bending  under  the  strain  of  the  work,  and 
were  speedily  in  the  thick  of  it  themselves.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  repeat  here  the  accounts  of  the  revolting 
and  heart-rending  scenes  they  were  continually  called 
upon  to  witness.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  labor  of 
disposing  of  the  dead  proved  almost  equally  heavy  with 
that  of  feeding  the  living,  while,  over  and  above  all 
other  discomforts,  an  Egyptian  plague  of  flies  constantly 
threatened  the  health  of  the  workers  by  bringing  pollu- 

88 


THE  TREE  UNDER  WHICH  THE  REV.  C.  S.  THOMPSON,  C.M.S.,  DIED 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


tion  to  their  food  from  the  foul  and  diseased  masses  of 
the  people  lying  everywhere  around  them.  Water  also 
was  so  scarce  that  at  times,  after  all  the  dirty  work  of 
the  day,  the  most  that  could  be  done,  by  way  of  a wash, 
was  to  dip  the  comer  of  a handkerchief  in  the  drinking 
water  and  just  moisten  face  and  hands  with  it.  Dr. 
Rhodes  crossed  over  for  a time  to  the  Rajputana  side 
to  help  Mr.  Outram,  but  by  the  early  part  of  September 
he  was  back  again  at  Baulia,  only  now  with  an  entirely 
fresh  set  of  colleagues.  It  may  literally  be  said  that  a 
whole  country-side  would  have  been  entirely  bereft  of 
inhabitants  but  for  the  labors  of  the  C.  M.  S.  famine 
workers.  On  the  Rajputana  side,  indeed,  the  British 
Resident  at  Kherwara  was  at  work  as  well  as  the  mis- 
sionaries, but  on  the  Gujarat  side  the  only  other  work 
attempted  in  our  district  was  the  feeding  of  fifty  per- 
sons a day  at  Ghoradar  by  the  Rao  of  Vijenagar.  The 
Hindus  of  the  neighboring  country  were  supremely  in- 
different to  the  sufferings  of  the  Bhils;  in  fact,  they 
thought  it  would  be  quite  the  best  thing  to  allow  such 
a nation  of  thieves  to  be  depopulated  to  the  furthest 
degree  possible.  And  here  came  in  the  practical  utility 
of  mission  work  in  preparing  for  a crisis  like  this.  For 
not  only  did  Mr.  Thompson’s  village  schools  provide 
at  once  buildings  for  the  storage  and  distribution  of 
grain — natural  centres  of  relief  at  distances  of  every  ten 
miles,  or  thereabouts — but  they  also  had  created,  among 
the  teachers  and  older  scholars,  a workable  subordinate 
staff,  trained  to  some  degree  of  discipline  and  some 
sense  of  responsibility  and  integrity. 

But  it  would  have  gone  hardly,  indeed,  with  our  C.  M.  S. 
workers  in  the  inaccessible  isolation  of  Bhil-land  had 
not  the  lines  of  communication  been  kept  open  with  the 
utmost  self-denial  and  kindliness  by  their  warm-hearted 
Irish  Presbyterian  brethren  at  Ahmedabad  and  Parantij. 

89 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


At  the  former  place  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  and  at  the 
latter  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Stevenson,  have  vied  with  one 
another  in  their  attentions  to  all  who  came  and  went, 
and  Mrs.  Taylor  found  time,  in  the  midst  of  her  own 
overwhelming  labors,  to  turn  her  house  into  a temporary 
hospital  for  disabled  workers  from  the  front.  This 
naturally  leads  us  to  speak  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian 
Mission  as  a whole,  and  of  what  we  have  been  able 
to  offer  in  return  for  their  kindness.  No  mission  has 
been  smitten  by  the  famine  so  severely  as  this  one.  No 
fewer  than  four  missionaries,  three  men  and  a woman, 
have  been  called  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  this  labor  of 
love  after  services  ranging  from  three  to  thirty -two  years. 
It  was  after  the  death  of  one  of  these,  Dr.  R.  B.  Mc- 
Whinney,  of  south  Rampur,  in  Panch  Mahals,  that  his 
colleague,  Mr.  William  Mulligan,  of  Jhalod,  wrote  to  the 
Punjab  committee,  asking  whether  they  could  send  re- 
inforcements to  supply  his  place  and  continue  his  min- 
istry to  over  seven  hundred  widows  and  orphans  who 
had  been  dependent  upon  him.  A party  of  four  was 
made  up  without  delay,  and  proceeded  to  Jhalod.  The 
very  first  thing  they  had  to  do  was  to  minister  to  Mr. 
Mulligan  himself  in  his  own  fatal  illness. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  1900,  Mr.  William  Mulligan, 
the  first  missionary  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Jungle 
Tribe’s  Mission,  in  the  Panch  Mahals,  died  of  typhoid 
fever,  supervening  on  cholera,  while  in  the  midst  of  his 
work.  He  was  an  indefatigable  worker.  It  was  he  who 
related  the  pathetic  story  of  the  Bhil  “Dudo”  in  the 
Bombay  Guardian,  as  follows:  “I  met  Dudo  Punja 
sitting  in  the  shade  of  the  single  post  which  remained  of 
what,  six  months  ago,  had  been  his  snug  little  cottage. 
Twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  ought  to  have  been  in  full 
vigor,  but  he  was  dying:  the  swollen  legs,  the  sallow, 
bloodless  skin,  his  listless,  hopeless,  and  lifeless  manner, 

90 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  heavy  breathing,  and  glaring  eye,  told  of  hunger 
and  cold  endured.  Beside  him  squatted  two  little 
children,  who  fled  as  I approached ; but  Dudo  did  not 
rise,  because  he  could  not.  The  children  were  nephews, 
whose  parents  were  at  the  relief  works.  My  questions 
were  answered  by  whispers,  and  I got  off  my  pony  and 
stooped  down  to  catch  what  he  said. 

“‘Are  you  hungry?’ 

“‘Yes,  very  hungry,  and  my  throat  is  dry  and  sore.’ 

“‘I  will  send  you  food  presently.’ 

“‘Do,  send  it  quickly.’ 

“ I knew  I should  be  late  in  getting  home,  so  had 
some  biscuits  in  my  pocket  for  lunch;  these  I shared 
with  Dudo  and  his  nephews,  and  rode  on  to  arrange  for 
food  for  him  and  many  others  as  well.  After  visiting 
another  village,  I galloped  up  to  one  of  our  district 
boarding  schools,  or  children’s  kitchens,  as  the  food  was 
being  prepared  for  the  morning  meal. 

“‘Do  you  know  Dudo  Punja?’  I said  to  the  teacher. 

“ ‘ Yes,  very  well.’ 

“ ‘ He’s  dying  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  yonder.’ 

“ ‘Yes,  sir,  I will  send.’  So  he  said,  but  I saw  it  in  his 
eyes  that  he  would  not  trust  so  urgent  a message  to 
another.  . . . 

“Yesterday  I saw  him  again,  and  asked,  ‘What  of 
Dudo?’ 

“‘I  was  too  late;  he  was  dead  before  I reached  him; 
but  I arranged  to  get  him  buried.’ 

“ Dudo’s  last  words  to  me,  and  possibly  to  any  one, 
were,  ‘ Send  food  quickly.’  Thadra’s  report  was,  ‘ I was 
too  late.’  One  knows  by  the  woodman’s  marks  on  the 
trees  which  are  doomed,  and  we,  through  grim  experience, 
have  come  to  recognize  the  marks  of  the  dread  ‘cutter 
down.’  For  many  around  us  it  is  already  too  late. 
They  may  live  a few  days  longer  if  well  nursed,  but 

9i 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


death  is  stamped  on  their  faces ; they  number  hundreds. 
The  looks  of  many  others  suggest  Dudo’s  last  words, 
‘Send  food  quickly.’  They  number  thousands.” 

Mr.  Blair  has  written  of  Mr.  Mulligan’s  life  and  death, 
as  follows: 

“ The  people  around  Jhalod  are  principally  Bhils,  and 
dependent  altogether  on  the  produce  of  their  fields,  so, 
when  no  crop  came,  there  was  nothing  for  these  poor 
people  but  to  die  of  starvation. 

“Mr.  Mulligan,  recognizing  the  immensity  of  the 
danger,  threw  his  whole  strength  into  the  work  of  com- 
bating the  terrible  evil.  He  labored  with  almost  super- 
human effort.  Night  and  day  he  was  busy  in  his  efforts 
to  save  those  perishing  with  hunger.  From  the  scenes 
described  by  him,  in  the  pages  of  the  Bombay  Guardian, 
its  readers  will  know  something  of  the  amount  of  work 
performed  by  Mr.  Mulligan,  and  of  the  terrible  strain 
all  this  must  have  entailed  upon  him.  For  some  months 
he  was  in  charge  of  the  government  poor  - house  in 
Jhalod.  He  rescued  hundreds  of  famine  waifs,  and  fed 
thousands  of  people  who  but  for  him  would  in  all  prob- 
ability have  died. 

“On  July  15th  he  received  a message  to  the  effect 
that  Mr.  McWhinney  was  seriously  ill  in  south  Rampur. 
He  immediately  set  off  on  that  weary  ride  of  twenty 
miles  to  Rampur,  arriving  only  in  time  to  find  that  Mr. 
McWhinney  had  gone  home.  When  the  remains  of  our 
brother  had  been  committed  to  their  last  resting-place 
in  that  far-away  grave  in  Rampur,  Mr.  Mulligan  returned 
to  Jhalod.  Shortly  after  he  was  attacked  with  cholera. 
This  was  followed  by  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  which 
ended  fatally,  and  our  brother  fell  asleep  in  Jesus  on 
Tuesday  night,  the  14th  of  August,  about  eight  o’clock. 
He  died,  another  victim  to  overwork.  With  him  duty 

92 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


was  paramount.  He  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  him- 
self in  order  that  he  might  finish  his  course  with  joy.” 

It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  hardships  of  the 
workers  among  such  classes  of  people  and  in  such  remote 
places.  The  Viceroy,  Lord  Curzon,  in  his  great  speech 
on  the  famine,  delivered  on  the  19th  of  October,  1900, 
thus  refers  to  the  noble  work  done  by  famine  relief 
officers  and  missionaries:  . 

“ In  a famine  campaign,  which  has  lasted  so  long  and 
has  provided  so  many  opportunities  for  chivalry  and 
self-sacrifice,  it  would  not  be  difficult,  but  it  might  be 
invidious,  to  select  any  names  for  special  mention. 
Numerous  cases  of  devotion,  amounting  to  loftiest  hero- 
ism, have  been  brought  under  my  notice.  I have  heard 
of  Englishmen  dying  at  their  posts  without  a murmur. 
I have  seen  cases  where  the  entire  organization  of  a 
vast  area  and  the  lives  of  thousands  of  beings  rested 
upon  the  shoulders  of  a single  individual,  laboring  on 
in  silence  and  solitude  while  his  bodily  strength  was 
fast  ebbing  away.  I have  known  of  natives  who,  in- 
spired by  this  example,  have  thrown  themselves  with 
equal  ardor  into  the  struggle,  and  have  unmurmuringly 
laid  down  their  lives  for  their  countrymen.  Particularly 
must  I mention  the  noble  efforts  of  the  missionary 
agencies  of  the  various  Christian  denominations.  If 
there  ever  was  an  occasion  in  which  their  local  knowledge 
and  influence  were  likely  to  be  of  value,  and  in  which 
it  was  open  to  them  to  vindicate  the  highest  standards 
of  their  beneficent  calling,  it  was  here;  and  strenuously 
and  faithfully  have  they  performed  their  task.” 

In  the  previous  January  this  generous-hearted  Viceroy 
had  said,  before  his  council  in  Calcutta,  that  ‘‘to  relieve 

93 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  Indian  poor  from  starvation  and  to  save  their  lives, 
British  officers  freely  sacrificed  their  own.  When  I was 
at  Jabalpur,  and  again  at  Nagpur,  I saw  the  modest 
tombstones  of  English  officers  who  had  perished  in  the 
last  famine  of  1896-97.  These  men  did  not  die  on  the 
battle-field.  No  decoration  shone  upon  their  breasts, 
no  fanfare  proclaimed  their  departure.  They  simply 
and  silently  laid  down  their  lives,  broken  to  pieces  in 
the  service  of  the  poor  and  the  suffering  among  the 
Indian  people;  and  not  in  this  world,  but  in  another,  will 
they  have  their  reward.  Only  last  week  there  was 
admitted  to  a Calcutta  hospital  an  English  officer, 
shattered  in  health  and  paralyzed  in  his  limbs,  who  had 
done  nothing  but  wear  himself  out  in  famine  work  in  the 
Central  Provinces.’’ 


X 


THROUGH  FAMINE  LAND 

“It  has  gnawed  like  a wolf  at  my  heart,  mother, 

A wolf  that  is  fierce  for  blood; 

All  the  livelong  day,  and  the  night  beside, 

Gnawing  for  lack  of  food.” 

Bhartpur,  Jaipur,  Phalera,  Kuchawan,  Merta,  Bi- 
kanir,  Jodhpur,  Biawar,  Ajmir,  Kishangarh,  and  many 
other  places,  and  all  between  and  around  and  beyond 
twenty  states,  and  12,000,000  people,  helpless  under 
this  merciless,  pitiless,  cruel  calamity.  Strong  men, 
sturdy  descendants  of  Rajput  warriors,  grown  feeble 
under  the  clutch  of  the  unseen  tyrant,  their  cattle  dead 
and  their  children  wasted  away,  sold  their  ploughs  and 
hoes  and  brass  drinking-pots,  to  buy  a morsel  of  bread. 
Gaunt  mothers,  carrying,  not  on  hip,1  but  over  shoulder, 
emaciated  babies,  plead,  in  the  name  of  Heaven,  for  a 
few  grains  of  corn.  Oh,  the  mortality  of  the  innocents! 
Children  abandoned  at  the  road-side,  and  the  mother, 
half  eaten  of  jackals,  lying  dead  in  the  field.  And  that 
embodiment  of  avarice  and  greed,  the  bunya,  sits  in  his 
shop  door  and  rubs  his  greasy  hands,  and,  unmoved 
by  the  pitiful  wailing  around  him,  raises  the  price  of 
grain,  which,  from  more  fortunate  provinces,  has  sought 
through  him  a market. 

Sitting  in  front  of  the  house,  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening, 

1 It  is  customary  for  an  Indian  mother  to  carry  her  child  astride 
of  her  hip. 


95 


.IN  FAMINE  LAND 


I heard  the  cry  of  a child — a child  in  distress.  I waited, 
and  listened.  It  was  a child’s  voice  pleading  for  food. 
I answered  the  voice,  and  bade  it  draw  near ; and,  out 
of  the  semi-darkness,  to  my  feet  came  a waif,  emaciated, 
hungry,  and  naked.  When  the  boy  had  become  calm, 
I said,  “Who  are  you?” 

“A  Thakur.” 

“What  is  your  name?” 

“ Rustam.” 

“Well,  Rustam,  what  do  you  want?” 

“I  am  starving.” 

“ Why  do  your  parents  not  help  you?” 

“They  are  dead.” 

“When  did  they  die?” 

“ They  starved  to  death  at  Abu  Road.” 

“ And  have  you  no  one?” 

“Only  God.” 

“And  will  you  stay  with  me?” 

“Yes.” 

And  so,  out  of  the  precious  fund,  the  child  was  saved. 
At  many  railway-stations  I found  miserable  creatures 
soliciting  alms  from  the  passengers  on  the  train.  I did 
not  observe  many  respond.  I tried  to  give  something 
to  the  children,  but  adults  nearly  always  attempted  to 
snatch  it  away  from  them.  At  one  station,  when  about 
fifty  beggars  were  pleading  for  help,  I distributed  five 
rupees  to  mothers  with  babies  and  to  feeble  old  women, 
and,  for  the  most  part,  ignored  the  men ; but  the  train 
had  no  sooner  started  than  the  men  fought  with  the 
women  to  get  the  money  away  from  them,  and  the  last 
I saw  was  two  men  shaking  a poor  woman  with  a baby 
clinging  to  her  shoulder,  and  another  man  throwing 
an  aged  woman  down,  to  get  the  money.  Alas!  how 
brutalizing  is  poverty. 

I left  Phalera  at  1.15  in  the  morning,  and,  travelling 

96 


OUR  GUESTS 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


via  Sambhar  Lake  Branch  to  Kuchaman  Road,  pro- 
ceeded thence  176  miles  over  the  Jodhpur-Bikanir  Rail- 
way, arriving  at  Bikanir  at  five  o’clock  in  the  evening. 
If  sand  had  the  commercial  value  of  salt  what  endless 
riches  could  be  gathered  between  Phalera  and  Bikanir. 
After  leaving  Merta  Road,  from  9 a.m.  to  5 p.m.  the 
train  passes  over  one  great  sea  of  sand  blown  up  in 
waves  upon  the  vast  barren  plain,  and  burning  under  the 
fierce  rays  of  the  sun,  while  the  air  is  full  of  fine  particles, 
which  penetrate  everywhere.  But,  alas!  this  season 
there  is  no  food,  and  out  of  this  weary  waste  grows  no 
green  thing.  There  are,  here  and  there,  dry  water- 
courses, but  for  three  years  there  has  been  no  running 
water  in  them.  There  are  fields,  but  they  are  of  sand; 
wells,  but  they  have  gone  dry;  villages,  but  without 
inhabitant;  cattle,  but  in  great  bone-heaps  at  the  side 
of  the  railway.  I said  to  an  official  at  Merta  Road, 
“This  famine  will  continue  for  two  years.’’  “For  ten,” 
he  replied.  “Cattle  dead,  inhabitants  wandered  away, 
no  grain  for  seed — the  effect  will  be  felt  for  ten  years, 
and  then  it  will  be  time  for  another.”  I am  told  that 
the  famine  of  1868  made  a difference  of  more  than  a 
million  in  the  population  of  Rajputana  alone. 

I was  awakened  at  daylight,  long  before  I reached 
Merta  Road,  by  the  pathetic  cry  of  poor,  emaciated 
creatures  who  had  crawled  out  of  their  villages  to  the 
railway-stations,  begging  for  food ; and  from  there  on  to 
Bikanir,  all  day  long,  it  was  the  same  sad,  bitter  cry  for 
bread — men  who  were  proud  of  their  manly  Rajput 
forms  feebly  crawling  to  one’s  feet  for  food;  women, 
not  old  in  years,  but  prematurely  old  with  starvation 
and  sorrow;  mothers  not  able  to  stand,  with  little 
skeleton  babies ; children  long  since  bereft  of  playfulness 
and  laughter ; and  on  every  face  depicted  a hopelessness, 
sadness,  and  gloom  indicative  of  abandonment  to  the 
7 97 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


insatiable  demands  of  a cruel  necessity.  To  many  of 
these,  relief  works  are  no  relief.  They  are  too  far  away ; 
they  are  loath  to  leave  their  homes ; but,  especially,  they 
are  too  weak  and  feeble  to  work.  The  very  old  and 
very  young,  and  the  infirm  and  sick  cannot  earn  any- 
thing on  relief  works.  What  will  they  do  then?  Die. 

There  is  another  thing  which  will  hasten  this  on. 
Cholera  has  broken  out.  Starvation  is  slow,  and  the 
helpless  victims  gradually  waste  away  and  die.  But 
cholera  does  its  work  quickly.  Seizing  upon  the  famine- 
stricken,  the  acute  agony  is  speedily  followed  by  in- 
evitable collapse,  and  almost  certain  death.  At  Nagaur, 
between  Merta  Road  and  Bikanir,  as  many  as  one 
hundred  and  fifty  died  in  a day.  The  water  they 
brought  two  miles  for  me  to  drink  was  of  the  color  of 
beer  and  of  an  evil  odor.  Hunger  and  thirst  drive  the 
people  to  use  unwholesome  food  and  poisoned  water, 
and,  as  a result,  disease  outruns  starvation. 

At  night  a dinner  was  given  to  125  hungry  Christians. 
The  food  was  a kind  of  mush  made  of  rice  and  dal.1  The 
whole,  with  six  annas  for  water  and  eight  annas  for 
wood  and  the  hire  of  the  large  iron  caldron  for  cooking 
the  mess,  cost  ten  rupees,  and  all  had  enough  to  eat. 
The  people  seemed  very  grateful  for  the  food,  and  joined 
heartily  in  the  singing  and  prayers  which  preceded, 
and  ended  with  repeated  shouts  of  “Victory  to  Jesus!” 

The  Rev.  George  Henderson,  superintendent  of  the 
Seaman’s  Rest,  Calcutta,  made  a tour  in  Rajputana, 
and  wrote  his  experiences  as  follows : 

“Hearing  that  the  famine  in  Rajputana  was  very 
severe,  I decided  to  go  and  take  a look  at  some  of  the 

1 A kind  of  pulse,  a common  food  of  India.  In  many  parts  of 
India  the  millions  live  all  the  year  round  on  dal  bhat  and  chapaties,  or 
pulse,  rice,  and  unleavened,  usually  barley,  cakes. 

98 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


worst  districts,  and  being  advised  by  a friend  that  I 
must  go  off  the  line  of  railway  and  away  from  the  big 
towns  in  order  to  see  it  at  its  worst,  I decided  to  take 
several  bicycle  trips  into  the  country,  in  different  direc- 
tions, to  see  the  condition  of  the  land,  the  people,  and 
what  was  being  done  for  their  relief.  Words  almost 
fail  to  describe  the  distress  among  the  poor  people,  and 
the  very  sight  of  the  land  is  something  long  to  be  re- 
membered. Nothing  describes  it  so  well  as  to  compare 
it  to  Gustave  Dore’s  illustration  of  Dante’s  ‘Inferno.’ 
The  land  is  bare  and  black,  without  a single  green  leaf 
of  any  kind,  and  the  skeletons  of  cattle  lying  about  the 
corners  of  the  field.  Several  villages  I visited  were 
altogether  deserted,  except  for  two  or  three  old  people, 
who  were  waiting  there  to  die. 

“Miles  of  land  are  going  out  of  cultivation  for  want 
of  rain  and  cattle  to  cultivate,  and  the  only  things  left 
standing  are  the  babul  trees,  and  all  the  leaves  have 
been  taken  off  and  the  bark  peeled  off  for  the  cat- 
tle, until  now  they  look  like  the  remains  of  an 
American  forest  after  it  has  been  swept  by  fire.  The 
few  cattle  remaining  are  being  used  to  bring  out  loads 
of  hides,  which  is  the  only  thing  I saw  being  exported 
from  the  famine  districts.  Rajputana,  where  I saw  it, 
is  truly  the  ‘land  of  the  shadow  of  death,’  and  the 
effect  of  going  along  a road  and  meeting  people  starving 
and  dying  for  want  of  food  is  very  depressing.  It 
relieves  your  feelings  to  give  them  something  to  eat, 
but  it  helps  very  little,  and  it  is  impossible  to  carry 
food  even  to  relieve  temporarily  the  dying  people  you 
meet.  There  is  only  one  cry  going  up  from  the  people, 
and  that  is,  ‘ Hungry  and  dying  ’ ; and,  as  you  look  at 
them  you  wonder  how  they  have  managed  to  keep  in 
life  so  long.  They  have,  indeed,  become  such  skeletons 
that  they  are  horrible  to  behold.  Most  of  the  people 

99 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


you  meet  in  the  road  hold  up  two  fingers,  to  signify  that 
there  is  only  God  and  you. 

“ I distributed  the  food  I was  carrying  with  me,  as  it 
relieved  my  feelings,  but  it  did  them  very  little  good, 
for  many  of  them  with  their  last  grains  of  flour  have 
scraped  the  bark  off  the  babul  trees  and  make  cakes  of 
the  bark  and  flour,  which  partly  appeases  the  pangs 
of  hunger,  but  is  soon  fatal  to  them,  as  it  brings  on  the 
famine  diarrhoea,  which  can  only  be  overcome  by 
nourishment  and  careful  nursing.  A few  miles  out  from 
Nasirabad  seven  people  had  died  and  the  police  were 
bringing  in  the  bodies ; and  I had  gone  but  a little  farther 
when  I spied  some  vultures  at  a feast  a few  yards  from 
the  road.  I dismounted  and  walked  to  the  spot,  driving 
away  the  vultures  and  hoping  that  it  would  be  a goat 
or  buffalo,  but  found  that  it  was  a human  being  of  full- 
grown  size,  and  a very  disgusting  sight.  Farther  on  I 
came  to  a man  and  woman  trying  to  reach  the  relief 
works  about  a mile  from  them,  and  they  were  in  the 
last  stage  of  starvation,  but  the  man  was  trying  to 
encourage  the  woman,  who  had  great  difficulty  in  mov- 
ing slowly.  A few  miles  farther  on  was  a woman  dead 
by  the  road-side,  and  many  sights  of  that  kind  could  be 
seen.  After  leaving  Nasirabad,  and  from  that  on  to 
eight  miles  beyond  the  town  of  Bundi,  I did  not  see  a 
single  growing  crop  except  in  the  bottom  of  two  rivers, 
where  they  were  growing  some  onions  and  melons,  and 
they  had  dug  a well  in  the  river-bed  to  get  water  to 
irrigate  their  crops.  The  government  have  now  taken 
things  in  hand  and  are  making  great  provisions  for  the 
starving,  about  wThich  I shall  write  you  in  my  next.” 

Miss  Lillian  Marks,  of  Ajmir,  wrote  in  April,  1900: 

‘‘Thus  far  God  has  provided  funds  to  continue  this 

100 


THE  HORRORS  OF  FAMINE.  PARTLY  EATEN  BY  JACKALS  WHILE  ALIVE 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


work,  and  we  are  asking  Him  with  tears  and  sighs  to 
open  the  hearts  of  His  people  still  further,  that  they 
may  take  compassion  on  the  starving  people  and  on 
us  who  witness  their  misery  but  cannot  relieve  it  with- 
out funds. 

“One  of  my  friends,  Mr.  Inglis,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission,  has  just  returned  from  a journey  of  ioo  miles 
around  this  place.  He  says : ‘ I expected  to  see  suf- 
fering, but  it  never  entered  my  thought  that  I should 
ever  witness  the  sights  that  have  shocked  me  on  this 
journey.  I saw  a boy  dragging  a skeleton  of  a man  by 
the  feet,  that  it  might  be  burned  instead  of  devoured 
by  vultures  or  wild  animals.  I have  seen  dogs  fighting 
over  the  body  of  a child  by  the  way-side.  I counted 
in  one  evening’s  journey  forty  dead  bodies  on  the  road, 
and  the  next  day  thirty-two,  and  the  following  day 
twenty-five.  These  had  evidently  tried  to  reach  a relief 
camp,  but  had  waited  too  long  before  setting  out,  and 
had  died  by  the  way.  While  sitting  at  tea  with  Dr. 
Huntly  we  clearly  heard  some  one  crying.  We  went 
out,  and  there  were  two  little  children  standing,  wailing. 
Their  mother  had  left  them  there  and  had  gone  away. 
We  gave  them  some  food,  and  let  them  rest  until  we  could 
decide  what  was  the  best  way  of  providing  for  them. 
Having  talked  the  matter  over,  we  went  out  to  them, 
and  there,  to  our  astonishment,  were  ten  children.  Other 
mothers,  hearing  what  the  first  one  had  done,  and  seeing 
that  her  children  had  been  fed,  had  brought  their 
children,  and  had  then  run  away.  Only  one  returned, 
her  maternal  love  compelling  her  to  bid  her  offspring 
farewell.  She  begged  us  to  keep  them,  and,  though  her 
heart  was  breaking  at  the  parting,  she  was  thankful 
that  they,  at  least,  would  be  fed.  We  gave  her  some 
food,  too,  which  she  devoured  greedily,  almost  like  an 
animal.  Yet  a very  short  time  ago  this  woman  was 

ioi 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


well  off,  and  was  a respectable,  well-behaved  woman. 
Now  she  was  almost  naked,  and  ravenously  hungry.’ 

“ I could  readily  credit  such  a narrative”  [Miss  Marks 
continues],  “ even  if  it  had  not  been  told  me  by  a friend 
whose  word  I can  rely  on.  Heart-rending  cases  have 
come  under  my  own  observation,  which  wrere  worse  than 
I have  ever  heard  of  in  any  former  famine.  Families 
setting  out  to  seek  food,  and,  being  separated,  too  feeble 
to  seek  any  child  who  might  linger  by  the  way.  Terrible 
partings,  wThen  the  father  is  the  only  one  strong  enough 
to  undertake  the  journey;  or,  perhaps,  taking  one  or 
two  of  his  boys  with  him,  the  mother  and  the  young 
girls  left  behind  to  starve.  The  aged,  the  crippled,  and 
the  blind  die,  of  course.  What  can  be  done?  There  is 
no  food  for  any  one  but  those  who  can  travel.  Last 
night  I found  a boy  about  four  years  of  age  by  the  way- 
side.  He  looked  so  sad,  and  his  little  sunken  cheeks  and 
bright  eyes  told  the  now  all  too  familiar  story.  ‘ Mera 
koi  nahin  hat’  (I  have  not  any  one),  he  wailed,  as  he 
looked  tearfully  in  my  face.  I asked  him  where  was 
his  mother.  ‘ Dead,’  he  answered.  His  father?  * Gone 
a long  way  off.”’ 


XI 


CHOLERA 

“There  is  a Reaper,  whose  name  is  Death.” — Longfellow. 

It  is  said  that  cobras  always  go  in  pairs.  Certainly 
calamities  never  come  singly.  One  evil  follows  another. 
Following  in  the  wake  of  gaunt  famine  comes  that 
awful  Oriental  epidemic,  cholera.  At  such  a time  con- 
ditions and  environments  induce  it.  The  system  is  ripe 
for  it ; and  it  claims  its  victims  by  the  thousands.  Re- 
lieving the  famine-stricken  is  no  easy  task  at  any  time, 
but  when  cholera  appears  the  burden  is  intolerable. 
Relief  camps  are  broken  up,  and  thousands,  forgetting 
their  hunger,  seek  in  flight  immunity  from  a greater  evil, 
only  to  fall  victims  at  the  way-side  and  spread  the  in- 
fection throughout  the  surrounding  villages.  Universal 
fear,  a horrible  feeling  of  helplessness  and  despair  end- 
ing in  apathy  and  indifference,  seems  to  seize  upon  the 
miserable  people.  Officials  double  their  diligence,  and 
missionaries  work  and  pray  as  never  before.  These  are 
the  days  of  heroism  and  self  - forgetfulness  and  faith- 
fulness to  duty  and  unselfish  service  to  helpless  hu- 
manity. In  South  Africa  men  exposed  themselves  to 
Boer  bullets  and  unflinchingly  faced  a hidden  foe,  en- 
during hardships  which  made  the  world  wonder.  Let 
us  generously  award  them  the  Victoria  Cross.  But  in 
India,  without  the  “pomp  of  glorious  war,”  or  the  hope 
of  earthly  promotion  or  reward,  move,  quietly  and 
calmly,  bands  of  noble  men  and  women,  seeking  to 

i°3 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


overcome  a foe  so  wide-spread  that  fifty  million  people 
feel  his  power,  and  so  intrenched  that  there  is  but 
little  hope  of  speedy  conquest.  We  knew  the  cholera 
was  coming  to  Rajputana. 

The  Rev.  J.  E.  Robinson,  editor  of  the  Indian  Witness, 
visited  Godhra  early  in  May,  1900,  and  wrote  of  what 
he  saw  as  follows: 

“ At  Godhra,  I found  Rev.  R.  C.  Ward  in  charge  of  the 
poor-house,  with  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  persons 
in  all  stages  of  emaciation  and  weakness.  These  are  the 
old  and  infirm  and  children,  unable  to  do  even  light 
work,  which  the  government  requires  shall  be  done  by 
all  who  are  physically  equal  to  it.  It  is  impossible  to 
exaggerate  the  condition  and  appearance  of  those  who 
find  their  way  into  the  poor-houses.  Numbers  die  on 
the  way.  Their  strength  is  unequal  to  the  journey. 
Straggling  in  from  distant  villages  to  the  larger  stations, 
where  relief  is  provided  by  the  government,  large  num- 
bers reach  the  poor-houses  in  the  extreme  of  debility, 
incapable  of  assimilating  food,  and  utterly  devoid  of 
strength  to  resist  the  attack  of  the  first  disease  that  lays 
hold  on  them.  Poor  wrecks  are  constantly  added  to  the 
inmates  by  the  police  and  the  dhooli  bearers,  who  pick 
them  up  on  the  road-sides  and  under  trees  and  carry 
them  to  the  poor-house.  The  impression  made  upon  one 
by  these  living  .skeletons  is  harrowing.  Nothing  goes 
to  one’s  heart  so  painfully  as  the  sight  of  the  little 
children,  whose  vrasted  bodies  seem  beyond  all  possi- 
bility of  recuperation,  no  matter  how  carefully  attended 
to.  Mr.  Ward  gives  hours  daily  to  the  work  in  the  poor- 
house,  seeking  to  infuse  a kind,  considerate  spirit  into  the 
subordinates,  and  to  render  the  unspeakably  hard  lot 
of  the  inmates  as  easy  as  possible.  All  that  can  be  done 
in  the  face  of  difficulty  and  disadvantage  to  alleviate 

104 


STARVED 

She  tried  to  drink  from  a stagnant  pond,  fell  in,  was  lifted  out,  and  died  five  minutes  afterwards 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


their  sufferings  and  preserve  their  lives  is  done.  But 
the  best  efforts  prove  futile  in  numberless  instances. 
At  the  time  of  my  visit  the  terrible  epidemic  of  cholera 
which  broke  out  in  the  relief-works  camp  had  added 
to  the  horrors  of  the  situation  at  Godhra.  Fourteen 
thousand  starving  people  were  employed  in  enlarging 
and  deepening  a tank  at  Godhra  when  cholera  appeared 
among  them.  The  camp  was  broken  up.  The  un- 
happy creatures  fled  in  every  direction,  hundreds  of 
them,  alas!  to  fall  victims  to  this  dread  scourge  before 
they  had  gone  very  far.  The  officials  were  not  prepared 
to  cope  with  such  an  emergency  at  the  moment,  and 
hundreds  of  corpses  remained  exposed  for  some  days. 
A corps  of  dhooli  bearers  was  organized  to  carry  the 
offensive  bodies  to  the  places  of  burning,  but  in  many 
instance  the  bearers  themselves  were  taken  with  cholera, 
and  lay  down  in  the  open  beside  the  corpses  they  had 
been  carrying,  or  near  the  burning-pit,  soon  to  suc- 
cumb to  the  disease.  Then  a large  number  of  carts  was 
gathered,  and  the  work  of  removal  was  facilitated.  The 
bodies,  mostly  nude,  were  thrown  in  and  carried  off  to 
the  burning-pit,  their  arms  and  legs  dangling  over  the 
ends  of  the  carts,  presenting  a horrible  spectacle.  Fifteen 
hundred  corpses  were  picked  up  and  disposed  of  within 
a few  days.  In  the  cholera  wards  attached  to  the  poor- 
house  I saw  several  scores  of  people  in  all  stages  of 
cholera — men,  women,  and  children — a large  number 
of  whom  were  dying  daily.  Five  corpses  lay  among 
the  sick  and  dying,  waiting  to  be  carried  out  to  burn- 
ing. The  genius  of  a Raphael  or  a Dore  and  the  pen 
of  a Dante  would  be  needed  to  do  justice  to  the  fear- 
ful spectacle.  It  wrill  never  fade  from  memory. 

“ A sad  occurrence  took  place  two  days  before  my  visit 
to  Godhra.  A public-works  overseer  had  pitched  his 
camp,  constructed  of  bamboo  mats,  under  a large  ban- 

io5 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


yan-tree,  adjoining  the  mission  compound.  His  wife  and 
three  children  were  with  him.  The  wife  was  seized  with 
cholera  on  Monday  morning.  The  missionary’s  wife 
nursed  her  tenderly  and  did  everything  she  could  for  her, 
but  all  in  vain.  Mrs.  Cooper  died  in  the  evening.  The 
missionary’s  wife’s  kind  hands  prepared  the  body  for 
burial,  and,  coffined  in  quick-lime,  it  was  borne  to  the 
cemetery,  followed  by  the  bereaved  husband,  the  collec- 
tor of  the  district,  and  the  missionary.  Next  day  the 
husband  and  three  motherless  children  proceeded  to 
Baroda  to  relatives.  Passing  through  Baroda,  on  Wed- 
nesday evening,  I learned  that  Mr.  Cooper  had  just  died. 
Oh,  the  tragedies  of  Indian  life! 

“ To  Mr.  Ward’s  knowledge,  five  persons  have  died  of 
cholera  under  the  banyan  - tree  beneath  which  Mr. 
Cooper  pitched  his  camp,  Mrs.  Cooper  being  the  fifth. 
The  missionary  did  a wise  thing  in  burning  up  the  whole 
camp  paraphernalia  that  remained. 

“ Being  down  to  the  railway-station,  it  was  sad  to  see 
the  surviving  remnant  of  the  fourteen  thousand,  who 
a few  days  previously  had  been  engaged  in  the  relief 
works,  trying  to  make  themselves  comfortable  in  the 
open,  with  the  blazing  sun  pouring  its  fierce  rays  upon 
them.  God  only  knows  what  has  become  of  hundreds 
of  others  who  have  wandered  off,  members  of  families 
separated,  never  to  meet  again,  many  to  die  in  their 
tracks  and  to  spread  the  fatal  disease  to  far-distant 
villages.” 

On  May  28th  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch  had  completed  his 
tour  of  the  famine  districts  in  the  Bombay  Presidency, 
including  the  native  states  of  Gujarat  and  Baroda.  His 
investigation  of  the  conditions  in  those  sections  wTas 
most  thorough.  Everywhere  he  was  confronted  with 
the  most  shocking  and  revolting  scenes.  He  found  the 

106 


CREMATION  OF  FAMINE  BODIES,  AHMEDABAD 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


famine  camps  stampeded  by  cholera  and  small-pox  fu- 
gitives, who  had  come  from  distant  points  of  infection. 
Many  were  dying  in  the  fields  and  ditches  and  along 
the  road-side. 

At  Godhra,  as  has  been  related  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Robinson, 
there  were  3000  deaths  from  cholera  in  four  days. 
Dr.  Klopsch  saw  while  there  sixteen  bodies  incinerated, 
this  method  of  disposing  of  the  dead  being  general 
throughout  the  famine  district.  But  in  many  places 
the  cholera  came  on  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  that 
there  were  no  facilities  for  disposing  of  the  dead  in  this 
manner.  In  fact,  in  some  places  the  authorities  were 
helpless,  as  all  were  in  such  a fright  that  no  one  would 
serve  either  to  gather  the  stricken  into  hospitals  or  to 
dispose  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 

At  Dohad,  some  fifty  miles  east  of  Godhra,  he  found 
a similar  frightful  condition  of  affairs,  there  having  been 
2500  deaths  from  cholera.  The  air  of  the  place  was 
stifling  and  strongly  impregnated  with  the  frightful  odor 
of  hundreds  of  decaying  bodies  which  lay  about  un- 
buried. The  water  was  also  impregnated  with  the 
poison  from  the  carcasses,  and  everywhere  the  stench 
was  indescribable  and  sickening.  In  the  hospitals  the 
death  rate,  as  reported  by  the  physicians,  was  ninety  per 
cent.  No  language  can  adequately  describe  the  terrible 
condition  of  affairs  in  this  section  of  India.  Of  this 
dreadful  condition  of  things  Dr.  Klopsch  wrote: 

“ One-half  of  India  to-day  is  a great  charnel-house,  in 
which  countless  thousands  have  already  perished  of 
cholera,  plague,  dysentery,  and  starvation,  and  as  many 
more  are  doomed  to  a like  fate.  How  to  describe  it, 
so  as  to  bring  it  within  the  grasp  of  the  human  mind,  I 
know  not.  Twenty  thousand  cases  of  cholera  weekly, 
with  a seventy  - five  per  cent,  mortality,  representing 

107 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


15,000  deaths  every  seven  days;  plague  on  every  hand; 
dysentery  mowing  down  its  victims  right  and  left,  and 
starvation  staring  millions  boldly  and  defiantly  in  the 
face,  reaping  a harvest  unprecedented — this  tells  the 
horrible  story  about  as  accurately  as  a brief  prose 
summary  of  Milton’s  Paradise  Lost  would  convey  a 
sense  of  its  poetic  sublimity.  The  skeleton  may  be 
there,  but  the  soul  is  wanting.” 

It  is  painful  even  to  write  the  history  of  those  awful 
days.  Conditions  were  ripe  for  such  an  epidemic.  Often 
unwholesome  food,  impure  water,  unsanitary  conditions, 
emaciated  bodies,  and  exposure  led  to  these  sudden  out- 
breaks. On  the  nth  of  May,  Mr.  J.  H.  McNeill,  of  the 
Jungle  Tribes  Mission,  Dohad,  Panch  Mahals,  wrote  to 
a friend: 

“The  one  little  ewTe  lamb  of  whom  I wrote  you  some 
time  ago  has  now  multiplied  to  twenty-six.  Three  of 
these  were  brought  from  the  side  of  their  mother,  lying 
just  beyond  our  hedge.  Seven  have  lost  their  parents 
by  the  cholera  epidemic,  which  has  been  raging  here  for 
the  past  ten  days  and  claiming  its  victims  at  the  rate 
of  forty  per  day.  The  epidemic  broke  out  on  the  tank 
where  8000  people  were  at  work.  All  who  were  able 
fled  to  their  villages,  taking  the  disease  with  them. 
Those  not  able  to  flee  dropped  where  they  were  on  the 
road,  behind  a tree  or  in  a hole.  Many  made  for  our 
house,  but  had  not  strength  enough  to  bring  them 
the  length,  so  perished  before  help  could  reach  them. 
We  kept  our  boys  running  with  hot  milk  to  them,  and 
helping  to  succor  those  who  had  a little  life  left  in  them. 
The  stench  from  dead  and  dying  is  awful.  I could  not 
tell  you  how  many  dead  bodies  were  carried  away  from 
about  our  house,  but  on  Saturday  morning  the 

108 


SORTING  THE  PATIENTS,  GODHRA 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


mamlatdar  called  to  see  me  about  nine  o’clock,  and 
told  me  that  they  had  already  collected  200  dead 
bodies  that  morning;  that  same  day  we  had  ten  re- 
moved from  about  our  house. 

“ Last  Sunday  evening  my  wife  and  I went  to  see  how 
a well,  about  one  hundred  yards  from  our  house,  was 
holding  out.  On  looking  in  we  were  horrified  to  see 
two  dead  bodies  lying — one  on  the  last  step  down,  the 
other  in  the  bottom  of  the  well,  where  there  was  not 
enough  water  to  cover  it.  The  people  around  were 
using  the  water,  and  never  thinking  of  having  the  bodies 
removed.  Needless  to  say,  I had  them  removed  and 
the  well  cleaned  out. 

“We  are  besieged  with  people  coming  for  medicine  for 
some  friend  who  has  cholera.  Those  attacked  die  in 
four  to  six  hours  if  not  under  treatment.  Many  drop 
down  when  speaking  to  their  fellows  or  going  along 
with  their  load.  Oh,  it  is  all  so  sad!  It  will  be  a relief 
to  breathe  fresh  air  again.  Nowhere  can  we  turn  outside 
our  compound  without  coming  across  dead  bodies.  It 
is  sickening  to  see  the  bodies  of  little  children  being 
devoured  by  dogs.  Had  it  not  been  for  your  timely 
help  these  twenty-six  little  ones  might  have  shared  the 
same  fate.  Could  the  generous  donors  see  them  now, 
washed,  clothed,  and  fed,  they  would  feel  well  repaid 
for  all  they  have  done  to  help  poor,  distracted  India  in 
her  time  of  need.  Surely  God  means  good  to  the  poor 
Bhils  from  all  this.  We  hope  to  get  a little  breathing- 
space  when  the  rains  come  and  our  people  get  settled 
down  again.  Last  week  we  gave  475  meals  per  day  to 
children  under  twelve  years  of  age.” 

Many  pages  might  be  filled  with  such  pathetic  stories 
and  in  recording  the  heroism  of  the  famine  workers. 
It  is  distressing  enough  to  fight  famine,  but  much  more 

109 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


terrible  to  face  both  famine  and  cholera,  for  one  feels 
so  utterly  helpless  in  the  presence  of  such  an  insidious 
and  deadly  foe.  Cholera  comes  suddenly,  does  its  work 
quickly,  and  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 

We  in  Rajputana  knew  cholera  was  at  Khandwa, 
then  had  crept  up  to  Indore  and  Nimach,  and  that  the 
same  causes  would  bring  it  to  Nasirabad  and  Ajmir. 
Our  famine  waifs,  gathered  with  so  much  diligence  and 
difficulty  and  tended  with  so  much  consideration  and 
care,  would  not  be  immune.  And  so  the  storm  broke. 
Mr.  Plomer  wrote:  “The  anxious  part  of  the  famine 
has  dawned  upon  us.  Cholera,  whose  ravages  have 
been  heard  of  at  Ujjain  and  Nimach,  has  appeared 
among  us.  Miss  Marks  has  had  a few  cases;  we  have 
had  four.  Two  have  succumbed,  one  had  to  be  sent 
away  to  the  municipal  camp,  and  one,  who  took  ill  last 
evening,  has  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  undertake 
his  journey  to  a village  near  Phalera.  I have  been 
advised  by  the  Civil  Surgeon  to  put  the  boys  out  for  a 
time.  All  this  will  entail  very  great  expense.”  And 
then  from  Miss  Marks,  on  the  29th  of  April:  “We  were 
indeed  glad  to  welcome  Dr.  Emma  Scott  this  morning. 
She  has  all  she  can  do.  There  have  been  nineteen 
deaths  from  cholera  this  week,  and  everything  is  in 
great  confusion.  To-day  I move  the  women  into  camp, 
and  on  Monday  the  girls  all  go.  We  succeeded  with 
great  difficulty  in  getting  a place,  about  two  miles  out, 
where  there  is  a well.  The  matron  of  the  Woman’s 
Home  died  very  suddenly  last  night.  She  was  sick 
only  a short  time.  As  I write,  a woman  comes  from 
one  side  to  say  a woman  has  just  died,  and  a girl  comes 
from  the  boarding-house  to  say  a girl  has  died.  You 
can  imagine  what  all  this  means,  especially  this  hot 
weather.  Pray  for  us.  11  a.m. — two  more  new  cholera 
cases.” 


110 


THE  STAFF  THAT  STUCK CHRISTIAN  NURSES  IN  FRONT 

The  others,  frightened  by  cholera,  or  worn  out,  could  not  go  on 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


From  the  29th  of  April  to  the  26th  of  May,  these  elect 
ladies,  Miss  Marks,  Miss  Tryon,  and  Miss  Scott,  M.D., 
with  their  assistants,  by  turns  remained  with  more 
than  two  hundred  women  and  girls  in  the  cholera  camp, 
enduring  the  heat,  patiently  waiting  upon  the  sick, 
caring  for  the  dying,  cheering  the  living,  and  guarding 
with  their  lives  those  whom  Providence  had  put  in  their 
charge.  On  the  1 ith  of  May,  Miss  Scott  drove  me  out 
to  the  camp.  I found  several  tents  pitched  under  some 
mango-trees,  and  rows  of  booths  made  of  sirki,  or  reed- 
grass,  in  which  the  missionaries  and  their  proteges  were 
living.  The  cook-room  was  under  a tree.  The  dining- 
hall  was  the  garden-path.  Food  was  being  prepared 
when  I arrived.  Cholera  had  abated,  and  the  children 
seemed  happy  in  their  improvised  home.  But  none  can 
know  the  anxiety  and  care  and  planning  and  arranging 
and  weary  hours  of  toil  required  in  meeting  an  emergency 
like  this  until  they  have  had  the  experience.  And  yet 
there  were  compensations.  How  it  brought  out  the 
noble,  unselfish  natures  of  some.  How  it  led  to  self- 
sacrifice  and  true  devotion.  I was  told  that  the  matron 
who  died  ignored  her  own  illness  in  the  night  because 
she  did  not  wish  to  disturb  those  who  needed  rest,  and 
that  her  last  words  were  an  exhortation  to  those  over 
whom  she  had  charge;  that  “heathen”  servants  volun- 
tarily devoted  themselves  to  the  care  of  the  sick  and 
were  indispensable  in  the  hour  of  the  greatest  need; 
that  the  most  menial  services  were  rendered  by  the 
most  cultured  and  refined.  And  all  came  forth  from 
this  furnace  of  affliction  refined,  purified,  and  ennobled. 
On  Sunday  morning,  May  27th,  we  all  met  for  the  first 
time  in  the  beautiful  stone  church,  just  completed,  and, 
crowding  it  to  the  doors,  gave  thanks  to  our  Heavenly 
Father  for  His  deliverance  from  famine  and  cholera. 
Here  were  assembled  nearly  four  hundred  men,  women, 

hi 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


and  children,  nearly  all  of  whom,  six  months  ago,  were 
wandering,  starving  and  naked,  in  the  villages,  but  now, 
fed,  clothed,  and  sheltered,  were  surrounded  with  Chris- 
tian influences  and  under  Christian  training.  And  the 
faithful  worker  can  look  through  his  tears  and  feel  that 
he  is  compensated. 


XII 


THE  PLACE  OF  DEATH 

“Ak  ra  jopra,  Pok  ra  bar, 

Bajra  ra  roti,  Mot’h  ra  dal, 

Dekho  ho,  Raja,  Teri  Marwar.” 

“Huts  of  the  ak,  barriers  of  thorns, 

Bread  of  maize,  lentils  of  the  vetch, 

Behold,  rajah,  your  Marwar.” 

— Rajputana  Folk  Song. 

“The  black  camel  Death  kneeleth  once  at  each  door, 

And  a mortal  must  mount,  to  return  never  more.” 

— Oriental  Proverb. 

It  sometimes  occurs  that  sailors  in  distress  at  sea 
famish  from  thirst  although  surrounded  with  water; 
and  in  Rajputana  a like  state  of  things  has  existed,  for 
grain  poured  into  the  country  from  the  Northwest 
Provinces  and  elsewhere  in  such  quantities  that  the 
railway  companies  and  the  bunyas  have  realized  large 
profits,  and  wheat  is  on  sale  at  ten  seers  to  the  rupee ; 
but  as  the  poor  peasant  has  no  money,  he  must  starve 
to  death  with  food  at  his  door.  At  many  of  the  railway- 
stations  I saw  thousands  of  fat  pigeons  gorging  them- 
selves with  grain  from  the  loaded  wagons  on  the  siding, 
while  apathetic  native  officials  stood  by  and  saw  the  pre- 
cious food  devoured  in  the  sight  of  scores  of  miserable, 
famine-stricken  villagers  crying  aloud  for  food.  So  tame 
had  the  pigeons  become  that  I had  no  difficulty  in  catch- 
ing one,  but  I was  immediately  warned  by  a policeman 
s 113 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


that  there  was  no  “order”  to  molest  them.  These 
pigeons  would  have  furnished  food  enough  to  have  kept 
a whole  village  from  starving  to  death;  but  the  high- 
caste  Hindu  would  rather  starve  to  death  than  kill  and 
eat  one  of  these  birds. 

Seventy -five  years  ago  Lieutenant-Colonel  Todd,  in 
travelling  through  the  Marwar  territory,  noticed  the 
peculiar  way  in  which  the  villages  were  constructed. 
He  says:  “The  villages  are  of  a construction  totally 
distinct  from  anything  we  have  seen,  and  more  ap- 
proaching the  wigwam  of  the  Western  World.  Every 
commune  is  surrounded  with  a circumvallation  of  thorns, 
and  the  stacks  of  boosa,  or  chaff,  which  are  placed  at 
intervals,  give  it  the  appearance  of  a respectable  forti- 
fication. These  boosa  stacks  are  erected  to  provide 
provender  for  the  cattle  in  scanty,  rainy  seasons,  when 
the  parched  earth  denies  grass  or  full  crops  of  maize. 
They  are  erected  to  the  height  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet, 
coated  with  a cement  of  cow-dung,  and  writh  a sprinkling 
of  thorns  to  prevent  the  fowls  of  the  air  from  reposing 
in  them.  In  this  manner,  with  a little  fresh  coating, 
they  will  exist  ten  years,  being  only  resorted  to  in 
emergencies,  when  the  kine  may  be  said  to  devour  the 
village  walls.”  There  were  no  railways  in  those  days, 
and  it  is  interesting  to  read  of  the  primitive  methods 
of  these  denizens  of  the  desert,  kept  up  even  in  the 
present  day. 

At  a station  between  Merta  Road  and  Jodhpur  I saw 
thousands  of  maunds  of  grain  piled  up  in  bags  on  the 
sand  at  the  side  of  the  line,  and  men  were  selling  it  to 
those  who  could  pay  the  exorbitant  price  demanded. 
Off  at  one  side  a miserable  company  of  famine-stricken 
people  were  looking  with  longing  eyes  towards  the  grain 
bags,  but  with  little  hope  of  ever  getting  any  of  their 
contents.  A few  pice  distributed  among  them  led  to 

114 


THE  VALLEY  AND  SHADOW  OF  DEATH 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


an  unexpected  demonstration.  About  fifty  half-starved 
people  rushed  together  and  clamored  for  more.  Their 
cries  were  pitiful.  I turned  to  a bunya  and  asked  him 
to  weigh  out  some  grain  for  them.  But  before  he  would 
allow  a grain  of  it  to  go  to  the  starving  people  I must 
meet  his  cash  demands.  And,  after  the  bargain  was 
closed,  it  was  difficult  to  distribute  the  grain  equitably 
among  the  noisy  and  clamoring  crowd  about  me.  There 
was  no  time  for  ceremony.  The  crowd  jostled  one 
another  and  fairly  overpowered  the  man  with  the  grain 
basket,  and  each  snatched  away  the  portion  intended 
for  another,  and  the  train  left,  amid  a scene  of  great 
confusion,  the  bunya  fighting  to  save  his  basket  and  his 
person  and  the  people  to  get  the  last  available  grain. 
Alas!  man,  “made  a little  lower  than  the  angels,’’  has 
fallen  to  the  level  of  the  brutes. 

It  was  with  much  interest  that  I looked  about  the 
town  of  Jodhpur,  the  capital  of  the  Jodhpur  state. 
Even  an  enlightened  rajah  and  a famous  prime-minister 
could  not  ward  off  a famine.  There  were  the  usual 
gaunt,  hungry  men  and  women  and  emaciated  children 
with  pitiful  voices  crying  for  food. 

Jodhpur,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  Marwar,  or 
“ place  of  death,’’  is  the  largest  of  the  Rajputana  states ; 
its  greatest  length  is  about  three  hundred  miles,  and 
its  greatest  width  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  It 
contains  an  area  of  37,000  square  miles.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  state  is  about  three  millions — eighty -six 
per  cent.  Hindus,  ten  per  cent.  Jains,  with  four  per 
cent,  of  Mohammedans.  The  Rajput  caste  predom- 
inates. 

The  aspect  of  the  country,  viewed  from  the  short  line 
of  sixty-four  miles  from  Marwar  Junction  to  the  capital, 
is  that  of  a sandy  plain,  from  which  rise  here  and  there 
picturesque  conical  hills.  Some  of  these  are  crowned 

”5 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


with  temples,  and  on  the  summit  of  one,  the  Nadolai 
Hill,  has  been  placed  a colossal  stone  elephant. 

The  city  of  Jodhpur  was  founded  by  the  Maharajah 
Jodha,  in  1550,  and  has  been  the  seat  of  the  capital  ever 
since.  Jodhpur  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  towns  in 
India,  standing  on  the  edge  of  a rocky  ridge  of  sand- 
stone, 400  feet  above  the  plain,  wTith  a splendid  citadel 
dominating  it,  perched  on  an  isolated  rock  800  feet  high. 
The  place  covers  nearly  half  the  area  of  the  citadel, 
which  is,  roughly,  five  hundred  yards  by  two  hundred. 
The  Dewan,  or  Hall  of  One  Thousand  Pillars,  is  a large 
and  handsome  building,  and  the  view  from  the  upper 
fort  is  very  extensive. 

The  main  streets  of  the  city  are  lined  with  fine  houses, 
palaces  of  the  maharajah,  and  the  town  residences  of  the 
nobles  and  Thakurs,  many  of  whom  are  very  wealthy. 
A strong  wall,  six  miles  in  circumference,  with  seven 
gates,  encircles  the  city.  But  it  was  all,  indeed,  a 
“place  of  death.” 

Marwar  is  rightly  named — it  is  a “place  of  death.” 
Perhaps  no  native  state  has  suffered  more  than  Jodhpur. 
The  territory  is  mainly  a sandy  plain,  which  shades  off 
into  the  great  Rajputana  desert— a sort  of  “No  Man’s 
Land.”  There  had  been  a succession  of  bad  seasons, 
when  no  rain  fell,  no  crops  were  raised,  and  the  farmers 
were  not  only  out  of  food  but  out  of  work.  Perhaps  in 
the  whole  history  of  famines  there  has  been  no  such 
record  of  mortality  among  cattle  as  in  Marwar.  Fully 
ninety  per  cent,  of  all  the  cattle  perished.  Many  of  the 
people  perished  with  their  cattle,  for  the  farmers  stay 
by  their  patient  beasts  till  the  last.  The  farmer  without 
cattle  is  ruined.  The  bunya  early  commenced  his  ex- 
tortion in  Marwar.  He  made  the  farmers  follow  him 
about  like  dogs.  They  were  his  bond  slaves,  and  ever 
at  his  mercy.  Thousands  of  the  Jodhpur  people  tried 

1x6 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


to  escape  by  migrating.  But  it  was  out  of  the  frying- 
pan  into  the  fire.  Bones  and  hides  were  available  in 
those  days  all  along  the  pilgrim  way.  The  via  dolorosa 
was  strewn  with  them.  The  state  was  impoverished. 
A large  loan  had  to  be  made  by  the  imperial  govern- 
ment in  order  to  enable  the  state  to  open  relief  works. 
The  energetic  prime-minister,  Sir  Pertab  Singh,  backed 
by  the  council  and  advised  by  the  British  Resident,  did 
much  to  alleviate  the  suffering.  But  it  was  beyond  the 
power  of  man  to  do  more  than  touch  the  fringe  of  it. 
At  such  a time  as  this  the  railway  shows  its  usefulness. 
The  Rajputana-Malwa  and  the  Jodhpur-Bikanir  rail- 
ways brought  from  the  Northwest  Provinces  thousands 
of  tons  of  grain.  It  was  this  which  served  the  relief 
works  and  made  them  possible.  But  there  was  a 
fodder  famine  as  well.  A regiment  of  Imperial  Service 
Cavalry  was  sent  as  far  as  Muttra  to  escape  the  fodder 
famine. 

Added  to  these  calamities  was  the  inevitable  cholera 
epidemic.  At  and  around  Pali,  where  many  thousands 
were  on  relief  works,  cholera  broke  out  and  carried  off 
many  hundreds.  It  was  difficult  at  first  to  find  any 
one  willing  to  remove  and  burn  the  bodies,  and  such  was 
the  fear  of  the  disease  that  the  people  left  the  relief 
works  and  carried  the  infection  far  and  wide.  The 
opinion  of  one  making  a special  study  of  the  famine  and 
its  results,  uttered  at  the  beginning  of  May,  that  “there 
can  no  longer  be  any  doubt  that  a calamity  of  the  most 
appalling  kind  is  beginning  to  break  over  India,  and 
that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  poor  wretches  who  have 
been  reduced  by  want  and  by  the  hardships  and  un- 
natural conditions  of  life  in  the  famine  camps  will  go 
down  before  the  blast,”  was  being  verified.  Truly,  the 
condition  of  the  Marwari  was  wretched.  Possessing 
neither  cash  nor  credit,  food  nor  fodder,  water  nor  work, 

“7 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


harried  by  hunger  and  cut  down  by  cholera,  he  could 
only  turn  his  pleading  face  to  the  passer-by  and  point 
with  his  bony  finger  heavenward. 

Leaving  Jodhpur  at  n p.m.,  I reached  Marwar  Junc- 
tion in  the  early  morning,  and  there,  unexpectedly 
meeting  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Ashe,  M.D.,  who  had  come 
from  Aligarh  to  assist  in  famine  work,  we  proceeded 
together  to  visit  the  relief  camp  near  at  hand.  We 
found  a large  enclosure,  in  which  the  poor  people  herded 
at  night,  and  a food  depot  from  which  grain  was  given 
out.  Piles  of  material  for  making  string  cots,  and  bam- 
boos for  making  roofs  and  booths,  and  wood  to  cook 
with,  were  piled  up  near  the  rail  way -lines.  But  when  I 
asked  for  grain  to  feed  about  a hundred  people  who 
gathered  about,  only  a mere  handful  of  maize  could  be 
found.  I sent  to  a village  near  by  for  some  pice,  and, 
remembering  my  experience  in  distributing  the  com,  I 
had  the  people  seated  in  a long  row  and  two  men  com- 
menced to  give  out  pice,  one  from  either  end,  while  the 
relief  camp  employes  stood,  sticks  in  hands,  to  keep 
order.  But  when,  desiring  to  hasten  the  distribution,  I 
took  the  pice  myself,  and,  telling  the  men  with  sticks 
to  stand  back,  commenced  to  dispense  my  own  charity, 
the  whole  miserable  crowd  sprang  upon  me  like  a pack 
of  hungry  wolves,  and  I saw  one  of  the  difficulties  of 
doing  such  work  in  an  orderly  manner  without  the  use 
of  means  to  suppress  the  unspeakable  impatience  of 
the  people. 

On  the  way  back  from  the  station,  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  village,  Dr.  Ashe  found  the  skeleton  of  a child,  and 
brought  away  part  of  the  bones  of  the  head  in  his 
handkerchief,  to  preserve  as  a memento. 

At  Sujat  Road,  where  we  took  breakfast,  Mr.  S.  O. 
Smith,  District  Traffic  Inspector  on  the  Rajputana- 
Malwa  railway,  told  me  pitiful  tales  of  the  condition  of 

1 18 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  people  up  and  down  the  line,  and  of  his  efforts  to 
help  save  some  of  them.  As  a result  of  the  short  talk 
a committee  was  formed,  funds  were  furnished,  and  a 
most  successful  kitchen  was  started.  Thus,  'within  a 
short  distance  of  each  other,  two  valuable  agents  were 
found  -who  gave  splendid  help  all  through  the  famine. 

At  Biawar  we  were  kindly  entertained  in  the  home 
of  the  Rev.  J.  Anderson.  Brown,  M.A.,  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Mission.  Mr.  Brown,  being  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Mission  Famine  Relief  Committee,  was 
able  to  give  me  much  useful  information.  They  had 
rescued  about  thirteen  hundred  children,  who  are  dis- 
tributed among  the  orphanages.  It  was  an  interesting 
but  pathetic  sight  to  see  some  of  the  poor  wraifs  who 
had  recently  been  rescued  from  starvation.  Dr.  R.  G. 
Robson,  who  is  associated  with  Mr.  Brown,  showed 
us  his  excellent  arrangements  for  segregating  his  fever, 
ophthalmia,  and  dysentery  cases.  Disease  is  sure  to 
follow  in  the  wake  of  famine,  and  many  rescued  from  the 
latter  w7ill  succumb  to  the  former.  But  what  a blessed 
thing  it  is  to  be  able  to  save  some  of  these  poor  wrecks  of 
humanity.  More  to  be  valued  and  greater  to  be  praised 
than  the  life-saving  stations  established  along  stormy 
coasts  are  these  havens  where  many  a poor  submerged 
one  has  been  rescued  from  starvation,  disease,  and  death. 

I spent  Sunday  and  Monday,  April  8th  and  9th,  in 
Ajmir,  inspecting  the  famine  orphanages  and  other 
wTork,  holding  our  Famine  Relief  Committee,  planning 
that  a more  systematic  effort  should  be  made  to  save 
the  children.  A sum  of  money  was  voted  to  each 
preacher  in  charge  of  rescue  work,  and  an  allowance 
per  mensem  to  each  circuit  to  help  any  particularly 
needy  Christians,  to  be  reported  monthly  to  the  secre- 
tary, "who  was  directed  to  keep  a descriptive  record  of 
each  person  rescued,  for  future  reference.  Relief,  in  the 

119 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


form  of  payment  for  work,  would  be  continued,  as  far  as 
practicable,  and  industrial  work,  such  as  weaving,  shoe- 
making, etc.,  was  to  be  carried  on  at  Bikanir,  Phalera, 
and  Ajmir,  in  connection  with  the  training-schools  and 
orphanages  at  those  places. 

New  dormitories  for  girls  and  women  were  just  com- 
pleted, and  a much-needed  school-house  commenced  by 
Miss  Marks,  who,  with  Miss  Tryon,  was  indefatigable 
in  helping  the  famine-stricken,  of  whom  hundreds  have 
been  rescued  and  are  being  fed.  One  large  dormitory 
and  school-house  for  the  boys’  orphanage  was  com- 
pleted by  Mr.  Plomer,  and  another  dormitory  was  being 
built,  and  a new  church  for  both  orphanages. 

A visit,  on  Monday  afternoon,  with  Rev.  George  Hen- 
derson, of  the  Seaman’s  Mission,  Calcutta,  and  Mr. 
Plomer,  to  the  government  poor-house,  was  interesting 
and  instructive.  A mile  out  of  town,  on  the  other  side 
of  a hill,  on  a level  place,  was  a large  square,  walled  in 
with  grass,  internally  divided  into  other  smaller  squares 
for  the  various  classes  of  paupers — men,  women,  children, 
sick,  etc.  In  a smaller  square  was  the  kitchen,  where 
they  were  cooking  mush,  made  of  cracked  wheat  and 
dal,  in  a large  caldron,  and  under  a thatch  at  one  side 
making  large  chapaties,  or  unleavened  cakes,  of  wheat 
flour.  They  told  us  that  there  were  484  inmates  that 
are  destitute  and  are  unfit  for  relief  works.  Such  were 
received  and  fed  until  either  able  to  work,  in  which 
case  they  earn  something  at  the  relief  camp  or  dis- 
appear in  several  natural  ways. 

On  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  evenings  I gave  dinners 
to  the  poor  Christians  at  Sali  and  Naraina  respectively, 
two  towns  near  the  railway  between  Kishangarh  and 
Phalera.  At  the  first  of  these  places  I found  some  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miserable  creatures  assembled,  and  the 
dinner  cooking  in  a large  pot.  Four  or  five  Christian 

120' 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


men,  under  the  direction  of  the  preacher  in  charge, 
soon  seated  the  people  in  two  long  rows  on  either  side 
of  a quiet  street;  a short  service  of  song  and  prayer 
and  a homily  was  conducted ; then  large  leaves,  pinned 
together,  were  distributed  for  plates;  the  waiters  came 
with  large  dishes  full  of  the  delicious  mixture  of  rice 
and  dal;  about  a pound  was  given  to  each,  and  then, 
for  the  space  of  the  next  twenty  minutes,  not  a sound 
was  heard  save  the  sound  which  actually  sounded 
musical — the  sound  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  starving 
Christians  eating. 

At  Naraina,  the  next  evening,  there  was  a much 
larger  crowd,  for  not  only  did  the  200  Christians  also 
come,  but  nearly  all  the  poor  of  the  town.  These  latter 
had  to  be  turned  away,  as  well  as  several  Christians 
who  had  seated  themselves  separately  from  the  others, 
hoping  thus  to  save  their  caste  by  not  coming  in  contact 
with  those  of  lower  degrees.  When  all  were  seated, 
there  was  the  usual  service,  the  distribution  of  leaves, 
the  dishing-out  and  the  serving  of  food,  the  silent  eating, 
and  a concluding  spontaneous  expression  of  gratitude. 
It  cost  fifteen  rupees  to  give  these  two  dinners,  or 
about  three  dollars. 

I stopped  two  days  in  Jaipur  to  visit  the  great  famine 
relief  camp  there.  I walked  about  half  a mile  from 
the  railway- station  to  the  office  of  the  superintendent, 
and  was  accompanied  to  the  works  and  the  camp  by 
the  assistant,  whose  business  it  is  to  enroll  and  feed  the 
people.  First  of  all,  he  showed  me  the  daily  register, 
from  which  he  permitted  me  to  take  the  following 
figures  for  the  12th  of  April — viz.,  On  the  works:  men, 
2773;  women,  2370;  children,  1888;  total,  7031.  In 
hospital,  450;  children  receiving  gratuitous  aid,  1102. 
Total  in  relief  camp,  8583.  When  I got  to  the  works, 
about  8 a.m.,  I found  more  than  seven  thousand  people, 


121 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


like  a colony  of  ants,  busy  removing  a sand-bank,  by 
filling  baskets  and  carrying  them  on  their  heads  across 
a narrow  valley,  which  was  to  be  levelled.  The  official 
told  me  they  worked  six  hours  a day,  and  each  would  get 
from  a pound  to  a pound  and  a half  of  flour  in  the  evening, 
which  they  prepared  for  the  day’s  food.  They  were  not 
given  fuel,  but  saved  grass  roots  and  other  combustibles 
dug  from  the  hill  in  the  course  of  the  day’s  work.  Some 
distance  away  were  400  huts,  half  under  and  half  above 
ground,  covered  with  thatch,  each  designed  for  twenty, 
in  which  the  poor  people  lodge.  There  were  a hospital 
and  a storehouse,  and  a place  for  orphans,  of  whom 
there  were  114,  and,  on  the  outskirts,  places  for  the 
disposal  of  the  dead.  Carts  from  the  transport  corps 
were  constantly  bringing  in  the  needy  from  the  villages 
and  carrying  out  the  sick  to  the  hospital,  and  the  dead 
to  the  dead-house.  About  a hundred  new-comers  sat, 
or  stood,  at  the  road-side,  pleading  to  be  taken  on. 
Some  of  them  had  eaten  nothing  for  twenty-four  hours, 
and  would  get  nothing  till  evening.  But  perhaps  no 
native  state  in  Rajputana  looks  after  its  poor  better 
than  Jaipur.  The  maharajah  has  given  fifteen  lakhs  of 
rupees,  to  remain  at  the  disposal  of  the  imperial  govern- 
ment, for  famine  relief.  Roads,  wells,  tanks,  and  other 
improvements  were  being  made,  at  the  expense  of  the 
state,  to  afford  aid  to  the  sufferers.  Private  subscrip- 
tions were  opened  and  wealthy  citizens  have  given 
liberally.  But,  in  spite  of  it  all,  the  heavens  were  brass 
and  the  sandy  plains  bore  no  fruit. 


XIII 


RECEIVING  AND  GIVING 
“Bis  dat  qui  cito  dat.” 

“He  who  has  his  food  to  himself  has  his  sin  to  himself.” 

Rigveda,  x.,  1 17,  6. 

Early  in  the  year  a famine  committee  was  formed 
at  Ajmir,  which  thoroughly  organized  the  work  of  relief 
in  Rajputana,  and  carefully  administered  the  funds 
which  came  into  its  hands  from  various  sources,  and 
employed  agents  to  rescue  the  perishing  and  gather 
starving  waifs  into  central  stations  and  rescue  camps, 
where  they  could  be  fed  and  clothed  and  distributed. 
This  relief  was  rendered  possible  through  the  munificent 
contributions  of  a multitude  of  Christian  givers  through- 
out the  world,  under  the  direction  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Missionary  Society,  the  Americo-Indian  Famine 
Relief  Committee,  the  American  Sialkot  Mission  Com- 
mittee, the  Christian  Herald,  New  York;  the  Christian, 
London;  the  Indian  Witness,  Calcutta;  the  Guardian, 
Bombay;  the  Indian  Sunday-School  Journal,  Calcutta, 
and  other  societies,  committees,  and  periodicals;  also 
through  the  private  donations  of  friends,  sent  direct  to 
the  chairman  or  other  members  of  the  famine  com- 
mittee. As  a specimen  of  these  latter,  and  to  show  how 
far-reaching  was  the  sympathy  for  the  people  in  their 
distress,  I quote  the  following  letter,  which  contained 
seventy -five  rupees: 


123 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


“ Anglo-Chinese  College,  Foochow,  China,  July  ia,  igoo. 

“ Dear  Dr.  Scott,— Some  of  the  students  of  our  college  have 
been  reading  of  the  intense  suffering  caused  by  the  famine 
in  India,  and  have  subscribed  a small  sum  as  a token  of  their 
sympathy.  I trust  that  in  the  providence  of  God  the  little 
gift  may  be  the  means  of  saving  some  one  from  starving.  I 
should  prefer  it  to  be  used  among  the  Christians,  and  that  they 
be  told  that  it  represents  the  Christian  love  of  their  brothers  in 
China.  May  God  richly  bless  you  in  your  work.  We  have 
had  a good  year  in  our  work.  A revival  in  the  college  resulted 
in  over  seventy  conversions. 

“Yours  in  the  Master’s  service, 

“James  Simester, 

“Acting  President.” 

From  all  sources  more  than  two  lakhs  of  rupees 
($67,000)  have  passed  through  the  hands  of  the  com- 
mittee for  the  relief  of  the  starving  poor  of  Rajputana. 

One  of  the  most  touching  results  of  the  famine  was 
the  self-denying  love  and  sympathy  aroused  in  the  hearts 
of  many  who  could  not  afford  to  help  much,  but  sent 
a little  they  got  together  by  careful  saving  and  per- 
sonal effort.  Such  money  is  very  precious.  Take,  for 
instance,  the  Aligarh  orphans,  themselves  just  out  of 
famine,  doing  without  their  Christmas-dinner  that  they 
might  have  something  with  which  to  help  the  starving 
Christians  of  Rajputana;  or  the  equally  sincere  self- 
denial  of  the  inmates  of  the  Lucknow  Widows’  Home; 
or  the  five-rupee  money-order  from  a child ; or  children 
giving  up  their  birthday  money;  or  collections  taken  in 
native  communities  when  they  were  needing  funds  to 
support  their  own  current  work. 

The  children  of  America  very  zealously  helped  to 
raise  money  for  the  Christian  Herald  fund.  Some  of 
their  little  offerings  are  reported  below: 

Mrs.  H.  L.  B.,  Raleigh,  Illinois,  $1 . From  Hal,  aged  six 
years;  he  had  saved  it  to  buy  a tool-chest. — A Friend, 

124 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


$10.  From  a young  girl  who  went  without  car-fare  to 
save  money  to  buy  a camera.  Reading  in  a copy  of 
the  Christian  Herald  that  fell  into  her  hands  of  the 
deserted,  helpless  children  of  India,  she  said:  “Oh,  I 
can’t  be  so  wicked  and  selfish  as  to  spend  this  on  a 
camera.  I hear  the  cry  of  those  poor  little  babies  all 
night.  This  money  will  almost  care  for  one  orphan 
for  a whole  year.”— Mrs.  G.  Parker,  Minnesota,  $i.  “ My 
little  five-year-old  son,  Warren,  has  been  saving  up  his 
money  for  over  a year  to  buy  a black-board.  May  the 
Lord  bless  his  little  gift.” — Evelyn  Dennison.  “ I send 
four  cents;  all  I have.” — Mrs.  Ingle,  25  cents.  “ My  little 
boy  sends  all  his  money  for  India’s  children.” — Claire 
Woodsun,  Maine,  25  cents.  “ I had  it  to  buy  candy  with.” 
— Little  Aggie  Boray,  $5.  “I  gave  up  my  birthday-party 
to  make  some  poor  little  orphans  happy  on  my  birth- 
day.”— George  and  Hazel  Reynolds,  $2.25.  “Hazel 
sold  her  three  chickens  to  make  hers.” — May  Hughes, 
$1.  “My  sister  Janie  and  I have  made  it  for  the  wee 
India  orphans.” 

Mr.  Thomas  A.  Bailey,  assistant  secretary  of  the 
Americo-Indian  Famine  Relief  Committee,  received  the 
following  touching  letter  from  Taubuland,  South  Africa: 

“ I am  sending  you  an  order  for  £ 2 towards  the 
famine  fund.  You  will  be  interested  in  hearing  that 
fifteen  shillings  of  this  amount  is  from  our  household — 
that  is,  our  Kaffir  servants.  Last  evening  (Sabbath) 
I read  to  them  of  the  famine  and  need,  and  they  were 
much  interested.  Faithful  old  John  was  our  first  ‘boy’ 
at  Lutubenl,  where  we  lived  for  a year.  He  and  his 
wife  have  been  with  us  practically  since  we  came  up  here ; 
we  believe  they  have  both  received  the  Lord  Jesus  into 
their  hearts,  and  now  they  are  very  keen  to  get  others 
saved.  We  do  thank  God  for  them.  John  came  to  me 

I25 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


to-day  and  said  he  and  his  wife  wished  to  give  some 
money  to  help  the  poor  famine  sufferers.  He  has  two 
pounds  that  I am  keeping,  saved  from  his  wages,  and 
he  said  they  did  not  quite  know  how  much — would  one 
pound  do?  I said  ten  shillings  was  enough,  I thought, 
and  thanked  him.  But  he  said  ‘No.’  He  thanked  me 
for  telling  them  of  the  poor  Indians.  Then  Mbete,  a 
young  boy  who  professes  to  love  the  Lord,  and  is,  we 
hope,  real  and  sincere — he  wished  to  know  how  much  I 
wanted,  but  I said  ‘ No;  I don’t  want  to  make  it  heavy 
for  you.  You  choose  yourself.’  He  then  said  ten  shil- 
lings, but  I said  five  shillings  would  be  a nice  little  help. 
So  he  was  satisfied.” 

But  a very  brief  account  of  the  various  forms  of 
famine  relief  carried  on  during  the  year  can  be  given 
in  this  chapter.  It  was  found  better  to  give  the  stricken 
people  food  rather  than  money,  for  starving  people  have 
no  fuel,  and  cooked  food  is  better  than  dry  grain.  And 
so  kitchens  were  started  at  many  places,  as  Tilaunia, 
Naraina,  Phalera,  and  Sujat  Road,  where  thousands  of 
poor  famishing  creatures  wTere  fed  daily.  In  June, 
thirty-seven  wagons,  or  7400  bags,  of  maize  were  re- 
ceived from  the  Christian  Herald  corn-ship  Quito,  and 
from  this  the  kitchens  were  supplied,  and  grain-shops 
were  opened  at  convenient  centres,  where  the  very 
poor  could  get  a gratuitous  daily  dole  and  others  could 
purchase  for  a nominal  price.  From  these  shops  were 
gathered  nearly  ten  thousand  rupees,  mostly  in  pice, 
which  were  again  distributed  in  the  form  of  food  and 
clothing.  During  the  year  nearly  three  thousand  waifs 
were  rescued  and  gathered  into  four  orphanages  and  a 
widows’  home,  or  sent  to  institutions  organized  else- 
where. 

Two  training-schools  were  opened  for  pastor-teachers 

126 


GRAIN  STORED  AT  GODHRA  READY  FOR  VILLAGES 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


at  Phalera  and  Bikanir  respectively.  Industrial  work 
of  various  kinds  was  opened  up.  Many  weavers,  es- 
pecially Christians,  were  employed  in  weaving  cloth. 
At  Ajmir,  Tilaunia,  Phalera,  and  Bikanir  a number  were 
thus  helped.  The  Bikanir  Christians  alone  wove  about 
two  thousand  woollen  blankets.  When  the  cold  season 
came  on  nearly  ten  thousand  blankets  and  suits  of 
clothing  were  distributed  to  the  destitute.  Every  poor 
Christian  in  Rajputana  received  warm  clothing.  For 
the  use  of  the  schools  and  orphanages  suitable  buildings 
have  been  erected  at  Ajmir  and  Phalera. 

The  beautiful  new  stone  church,  built  at  Ajmir  by 
Mr.  Plomer,  was  dedicated  in  May,  1900,  and  the  com- 
modious Memorial  School-house  for  the  girls’  school  at 
Ajmir  was  opened  in  March,  1901. 

In  reviewing  the  famine  work  of  the  past  year  it  is 
impossible  to  describe  the  anxiety  and  solicitude  of  those 
engaged  in  it,  nor  the  personal  hardships  which  they 
endured.  I can  corroborate  all  that  Miss  Marks  wrote 
concerning  the  condition  of  things  in  May : 

“Conditions  are  growing  steadily  worse.  Horrible 
stories  come  to  us  from  eye  - witnesses  — government 
officials,  missionaries,  railway  employes,  and  natives — 
of  bodies  by  the  way-side  being  devoured  by  vultures, 
jackals,  and  dogs.  Heart-rending  cases  have  come  un- 
der my  own  observation.  No  pen  can  exaggerate  the 
suffering.  Families  separate  to  seek  food,  never  to  meet 
again.  Children  are  beaten  and  turned  from  their 
homes.  Wives  are  thrust  out  with  two  or  three  children 
clinging  to  them.  The  aged,  the  crippled,  and  the  blind 
are  left  by  the  road-side  to  die.  Hundreds  of  orphans, 
forsaken  by  their  relatives,  wander  about,  begging  and 
picking  up  anything  they  can  find  to  eat.  The  grain 
market  is  thronged  with  these  human  birds,  picking  out 

127 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


of  the  dirt  every  grain  that  falls,  and  even  gathering 
manure  to  wash  from  it  the  undigested  grains. 

“Orphans  brought  to  us  as  the  famine  increases  are 
more  and  more  emaciated.  A child  was  brought  to  us 
who  had  lain,  sick  and  naked,  by  the  road-side  for  eight 
days  without  a morsel  of  food.  She  looked  more  like 
an  animal  than  a human  being.  Care  and  nourishment 
have  wrought  a w7ondrous  change  in  her. 

“ Yesterday  a boy,  thirteen  years  of  age,  wTas  brought 
to  our  veranda,  just  as  he  was  gasping  his  last.  The 
emaciated  body,  sunken  cheeks,  and  hollow  eyes  told 
the  sad  tale  of  starvation.  A few  minutes  afterwards 
two  more  boys  came  up,  and  if  you  could  only  have 
heard  the  pitiful  cry  of  those  two  brothers  as  they  gazed 
upon  the  face  of  the  dying  lad  wThom  they  had  lost  in 
their  wanderings  and  had  not  seen  for  fifteen  days! 
‘ Have  we  found  you  only  to  look  into  your  dead  face?’ 
they  wrailed.  Mother  and  father  had  succumbed  to 
hunger,  and  these  three  brothers  had  for  a time  tried 
to  keep  together,  but  in  their  quest  for  food  were 
separated. 

“ Last  night  I found  a little  boy,  nearly  four  years  of 
age,  sitting  at  the  door  of  the  railway  - station.  He 
looked  up  into  my  face  in  such  a hopeless  way,  and  I 
said,  ‘Have  }7ou  no  father  or  mother?’ 

“ ‘ No ; my  mother  died  of  hunger,  and  my  father  went 
off  and  left  me,’  was  the  reply,  writh  the  reiteration,  ‘ I 
haven’t  got  any  one.’ 

“‘Will  you  come  with  me?’  I asked.  You  should 
have  seen  with  what  alacrity  he  jumped  up,  and  the 
smile  that  illumined  his  dirty  face.  Friends,  you  wrould 
not  have  had  me  leave  him  to  perish. 

“This  morning  a Bible -reader  and  pastor  - teacher 
brought  twenty-seven  starving  widows  and  children  to 
us.  As  they  came  along  they  saw  a young  girl  lying 

128 


“little  koko” 

The  last  hospital  patient;  kept  alive  through  the  famine  to  die  of  dysentery  at  the  last 


. 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


dead  by  the  road-side.  No  doubt  as  to  the  cause  of 
death.  Starvation  written  in  every  feature.  And  the 
twenty-seven — naked,  covered  with  vermin,  filth,  and 
sores.” 

Later  Miss  Marks  wrote:  “No  pen  can  exaggerate 

the  suffering.  Thousands  of  homeless,  naked,  and  starv- 
ing ones  wander  about  from  village  to  village  in  search 
of  work,  water,  and  food.  The  aged,  the  crippled,  and 
the  blind  are  left  by  the  road-side  to  die.  Hundreds 
of  children,  forsaken  by  friends,  go  about  begging  and 
picking  up  anything  they  can  find  to  eat.  I pray  God 
I may  never  witness  another  famine.  That  awful  cry, 

‘ I am  dying  of  hunger,’  rings  in  my  ears  even  when  I lie 
down  to  rest  at  night.  How  they  do  plead  for  work! 
Men  fall  at  my  feet,  crying  and  clutching  my  dress, 
begging  me  to  give  them  work.  We  are  doing  our 
utmost ; we  realize  that  this  is  the  opportunity  to  show 
the  heathen  what  Christianity  means.”  On  August 
23d  she  again  wrote:  “We  are  grateful  for  all  the 
help  received  for  the  poor  starving  creatures  about  us. 
The  rains  have  come  in  earnest,  and  we  trust  that  in 
three  months  more  this  famine  will  be  a thing  of  the 
past.  By  that  time  some  of  the  crops  ought  to  be  ready 
for  harvest.  The  government  has  given  seed,  ploughs, 
and  oxen  to  the  poor  farmers  who  escaped  death. 
There  is  still  great  suffering,  so  many  are  homeless  and 
naked.  In  their  weak,  emaciated  condition  they  suc- 
cumb from  exposure  to  the  rain.  It  is  sad  to  see  them, 
lying  or  sitting  huddled  together  under  a tree  to  shelter 
themselves.  We  continue  to  take  in  widows  and  or- 
phans, and  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  homes  for  those 
we  cannot  keep  permanently.  Our  kitchens,  where,  for 
months,  we  have  fed  several  hundred  people  daily,  are 
kept  up,  and  will  be  so  long  as  there  is  need  for  them. 

129 


9 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


We  are  now  distributing  as  much  clothing  as  possible. 
We  gave  a contract  to-day  for  6000  blankets  for  the 
poor.  The  famine  people  are  weaving  the  cloth,  we 
furnishing  the  thread  and  paying  them  enough  for  the 
weaving  to  buy  their  food.  Fifty  Christian  families 
have  been  kept  from  starving  by  giving  them  work  on 
our  premises  and  on  the  new  school  building.  We  have 
rescued  three  thousand  girls  and  widows,  and  all  have 
been  clothed,  doctored,  nursed,  and  fed.  Our  family 
now  numbers  700;  the  authorities  have  limited  our 
number  in  the  city,  and,  at  the  same  time,  do  not  want 
the  children  sent  out  of  their  own  territory ; therefore, 
we  expect  to  establish  a second  orphanage  at  Phalera,  a 
village  six  hours  by  rail  from  Ajmir,  and  we  will  have 
500  girls  in  the  two.  The  Widows’  Home,  of  about  one 
hundred  inmates,  will  also  be  in  Phalera.  These  widows 
must  be  supported  until  they  learn  to  care  for  themselves. 
We  hope  that  many  will  become  earnest  Christians  and 
receive  the  call  from  above  to  preach  the  glad  tidings 
to  their  own  people.  It  would  take  a volume  to  write 
all  the  experiences  of  the  year ; we  have  passed  through 
deep  waters,  but  the  Lord  has  gone  before,  and  the 
everlasting  arms  have  upheld.” 


XIV 


SUJAT  ROAD 

“Give  me  three  grains  of  corn,  mother — 

Only  three  grains  of  corn; 

It  will  keep  the  little  life  I have 
Till  the  coming  of  the  mom.” 

How  I came  to  help  in  the  work  at  Sujat  Road  was 
this:  I had  been  on  a tour  of  relief  to  Bikanir  and 
Jodhpur,  and  was  returning  to  Ajmir  via  Marwar 
Junction,  where  I met  Dr.  Ashe,  who  subsequently  took 
charge  of  the  famine  relief  work  at  Phalera,  and  we 
both  breakfasted  together  at  the  next  station,  Sujat 
Road.  When  we  entered  the  refreshment-room  I was 
greeted  by  Mr.  S.  0.  Smith,  the  District  Traffic  Inspector 
on  the  Rajputana-Malwa  railway,  and  we  at  once  com- 
menced to  talk  about  the  famine,  in  which  we  were  all 
very  much  interested.  He  told  us  that  he  had  been 
doing  what  he  could  to  help  the  poor  people,  and  that 
their  condition  was  most  distressing,  but  he  was  greatly 
hindered  for  lack  of  funds.  I was  glad  to  be  able  to 
assure  him  aid  in  this  good  work,  and,  giving  him  ioo 
rupees  which  I had  with  me,  told  him  that  I would 
send  him  more  if  he  would  organize  the  work  up  and 
down  the  line,  and  open  kitchens  and  grain-shops,  and 
feed  the  people.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a great  work, 
which  continued  under  Mr.  Smith’s  supervision  until 
the  rains  came  and  the  famine  ended.  He  not  only 
fed  thousands  of  starving  creatures  at  his  kitchens,  but 
he  rescued  hundreds  of  children  and  sent  them  to  our 

131 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


orphanages,  and  gave  grain  for  seed,  and  ploughs  with 
which  to  plough  the  land,  and  when  the  cold  weather 
came  on  distributed  many  hundreds  of  warm  blankets,  to 
protect  them  from  the  wet  and  cold.  Miss  Marks  and 
Miss  Tryon  and  Dr.  Emma  Scott  found  him  exceedingly 
helpful  in  seconding  all  their  efforts  to  “rescue  the 
perishing,”  and  many  a poor  child  they  brought  in  to 
Ajmir  through  his  aid. 

He  directed  the  native  men  who  were  sent  out  by  us 
to  gather  up  the  starving,  and  gave  assistance  in  send- 
ing the  waifs  on  the  trains.  In  all  this  he  was  not 
alone,  for  Mrs.  Smith  was  in  deep  sympathy  with  all  the 
work,  and  prepared,  with  her  own  hands,  light  foods 
for  the  little  ones  and  the  very  weak.  Mr.  Smith  or- 
ganized his  staff,  the  station-masters  and  other  railway 
subordinates,  into  a famine  committee,  which  did  most 
excellent  work.  He  was  also  a member  of  our  central 
committee  at  Ajmir,  and  often  gave  valuable  help  in 
planning  for  the  work.  All  up  and  down  the  line,  from 
Sujat  Road  to  Abu  Road  and  beyond,  he  fed  the 
starving  people,  and  made  regular  reports,  showing  the 
systematic  way  in  which  the  work  was  done.  Some 
of  those  reports  are  before  me  as  I write.  He  had 
kitchens  at  Sujat  Road,  Rani,  Mehsana,  Erinpura  Road, 
Banas,  Raho,  Disa,  and  other  places.  Below  is  a weekly 
report  for  Raho,  one  of  the  smaller  kitchens : 


STATEMENT  OF  STARVING  PEOPLE  FED  AT  RAHO  STATION  FROM 
JULY  10  TO  JULY  16,  1900 


Date 

Weight  of  grain, 
maunds 1 and 
seers 

Number  of 
bags 

Number  fed 

Children 

Women 

Men 

July  10 

1—30 

ilA 

150 

150 

70 

I I 

1—30 

iVt 

160 

160 

80 

I 2 

1—30 

1 lA 

170 

160 

80 

“ 1 3 

1 — 30 

1 V* 

200 

15° 

75 

14 

1—30 

1 54 

200 

160 

7 S 

“ 15 

1—30 

i'A 

200 

ISO 

80 

“ 16 

1—30 

I % 

200 

I Go 

80 

1 A maund  is  equal  to  eighty  pounds. 


132 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


In  writing  of  the  work  under  Mr.  Smith,  I cannot  give 
a better  account  of  the  relief  carried  on  by  him  than 
that  contained  in  his  letters  and  reports  sent  me  from 
time  to  time.  On  the  ioth  of  June  he  wrote  me  from 
Abu  Road  concerning  his  kitchen.  This  kitchen  had 
been  recently  opened  to  feed  the  starving  poor  in  the 
villages  immediately  about  Mr.  Smith’s  headquarters, 
and  there  was  no  intention  that  this  would  in  any  way 
overlap  the  work  being  done  by  the  state  at  Marwar 
Junction. 

“Dear  Dr.  Scott, — The  Jodhpur  Durbar  have  at  last  woke 
up  to  the  fact  of  our  feeding  their  starving  at  Sujat  Road. 
So  they  sent  in  some  officials  and  carted  over  five  hundred 
men,  women,  and  children  away  to  Marwar  Junction  and  other 
famine  works.  This,  of  course,  relieves  our  kitchen;  but  a few, 
about  fifty,  remain,  and  so  I am  keeping  on  feeding.  I am 
sorry  for  the  poor  people,  for  numbers,  to  a certainty,  will  die 
if  all  one  hears  of  the  feeding  at  Marwar  Junction  is  true. 

“This  will  stop  our  rescue  of  children  at  Sujat  Road  in  a great 
measure.  But  still  I can  do  a lot  in  the  district,  and  will  do  so. 
I brought  in  thirty-one  on  Saturday,  and  sent  them  in  with  Miss 
Marks,  who  came  to  Sujat.  I expect  to  get  some  at  Raho  to- 
morrow, and  hope  to  make  up  a good  number  this  week  from 
different  stations.  Yours  sincerely, 

“S.  O.  Smith.” 

Dr.  Ashe  and  I had  inspected  the  relief  camp  at 
Marwar  Junction  and  were  not  favorably  impressed 
with  all  the  arrangements.  Certainly  these  poor  people 
would  not  be  so  well  fed  as  at  Sujat  Road,  where  they 
were  getting  their  food  free  of  expense  to  the  state. 
But  the  removal  of  these  only  made  room  for  a kitchen 
elsewhere.  There  was  no  danger  of  being  left  without 
applications  for  food.  Everywhere  there  were  gaunt 
creatures,  with  diaphragms  knocking  against  their  spine, 
and  little  children  with  pinched  faces  and  old  looks  and 
shrivelled  bodies,  whose  pleading  looks  kept  telling  the 

*33 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


pathetic  story  of  hunger.  On  the  20th  Mr.  Smith 
wrote  me  again: 

“My  wife  writes  me  to-day  that  our  kitchen  work  at 
Sujat  Road  has  entirely  stopped.  The  rajah  has  at  last 
wakened  up  to  the  fact  that  we  were  feeding  six  hundred 
of  their  poor  and  starving,  and  they  have  taken  every 
one  away  to  Karthi,  and  have  asked  us  to  stop  our 
kitchen  work. 

“ I have  sent  word  now  to  stop  the  feeding  for  a time, 
till  we  see  how  matters  go.  This  will  stop  my  rescue 
of  orphans  from  Sujat  Road,  in  a measure,  but  I am 
still  collecting  them  from  the  district. 

“ I sent  in  nine  yesterday.  In  order  to  collect  orphans, 
I gave  a feed  at  Raho  yesterday,  when  ninety  poor 
starved  wretches  sat  down  to  dinner.  As  the  work 
at  Sujat  Road  is  stopped,  may  I utilize  the  money  and 
form  small  kitchens  at  other  stations,  under  good  and 
reliable  supervision?  Reply  early.” 

It  was  exceedingly  necessary  that  the  starving  people 
be  rescued  and  fed  as  soon  as  possible,  for  the  suffering 
was  becoming  intolerable  and  the  mortality  increasing 
day  by  day.  The  proposition  to  open  other  kitchens 
was  at  once  approved.  I told  him  to  do  so,  and  several 
new  kitchens  were  the  result.  I received  almost  daily 
letters  as  to  the  progress  of  the  work.  On  the  21st  he 
wrote  from  Mehsana: 

“ I am  going  on  rescuing  children  and  sending  them 
into  Ajmir  every  week.  I sent  in  eight  to  Sujat  Road 
on  the  19th.  Some  of  them  were  picked  up  in  a bad 
state  and  need  a good  deal  of  care  to  bring  them  around. 
If  you  have  received  your  Christian  Herald  fund  food- 
stuffs, send  me  a couple  of  dozen  tins  of  any  of  the 

*34 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


following  milk  - foods  — viz. : ( i ) Nestle’s  milk  - food ; 
(2)  Allen  Hamburey’s  food;  (3)  Mellin’s  food,  or  any 
other  of  similar  foods.1 

“These  bring  the  little  ones  around  very  rapidly. 
I hope  I’ll  be  able  to  meet  you  at  the  next  meeting  at 
Ajmir.  I have  opened  kitchens  at  Disa  and  Raho, 
and  will  endeavor  to  open  another  at  Rohira  or  Pind- 
wara  with  the  consent  of  the  rajah.  I have  also  made 
a grant  of  fifty  rupees  to  Mr.  Sheffield,  loco-foreman, 
Mehsana,  who  is  doing  excellent  work,  and  I shall  send 
him  fifty  bags  of  the  corn  when  I get  it.  It  has  not 
arrived  yet. 

“Some  bags  I’ll  send  to  Raho,  others  to  Disa.  I 
propose,  with  the  remainder,  to  make  grants  for  seed 
grain  to  impoverished  farmers  around  Sujat  Road. 

“About  rescue  of  children,  I can’t  do  much  in  this 
alone,  as  I cannot  attend  to  the  little  ones  on  the  line. 
If  you  want  this  work  continued,  a couple  of  good, 
diligent  women  should  be  stationed  at  Abu  Road  to  col- 
lect them,  and  a man  to  travel  about  with  me,  station 
to  station,  who  could  take  them  direct  to  Ajmir.  This 
is  the  only  way  of  doing  really  good  work  on  this  line. 

“ I hope  to  be  in  at  Ajmir  on  the  3d  or  4th,  and 
will  settle  the  matter  with  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Plomer  and 
Miss  Marks. 

“ Pandita  Ramabai2 * * 5  is  doing  excellent  work  on  these 
lines.  The  feeding  of  the  poor  at  Abu  Road  has  been 
stopped  by  the  state,  and  it  is  therefore  now  a splendid 
field  for  the  rescue  of  children  if  properly  worked.” 

1 The  Rev.  Dennis  Osborne,  of  Poona,  was  very  active  in  gathering 

such  supplies,  and  during  several  visits  to  England  secured  large 

amounts  of  tinned  provisions,  which  were  sent  through  Messrs. 

Watson  & Co.,  Bombay. 

5 I visited  Pandita  Ramabai’s  Mukti  Mission  at  Kedgaon,  near 
Poona,  and  found  1900  women  and  girls,  mostly  widows,  being 
cared  for.  She  collected  Rs.  I.,  33,000  for  this  work  last  year. 

135 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


The  workers  requested  for  rescue  work  were  sent. 
On  the  28th  he  wrote  from  Sabarmati: 

“ I sent  in  fifteen  children  yesterday  to  Miss  Marks, 
and  am  keeping  up  the  rescue  work  quietly,  so  as  not 
to  alarm  the  state  people.  I do  a little  every  week  in 
this  way. 

‘ * I have  received  the  railway  receipt  for  the  two  hun- 
dred bags  of  grain  from  Bombay,  and  have  distributed 
the  bags  as  follows — Mehsana,  thirty  bags ; Disa,  thirty 
bags ; Raho,  forty  bags. 

“We  are  now  feeding  at  Mehsana,  150;  Disa,  180; 
Raho,  200 ; and  this  week  I hope  to  open  another  kitchen 
at  Banas.  Mr.  Ker’s  work  at  Abu  Road  has  been  all 
stopped  by  the  agent  to  the  Governor-General,  on  ac- 
count of  fear  of  cholera.  I want  five  hundred  or  one 
thousand  of  empty  bagging  from  your  grain  at  Ajmir. 
May  I have  them?  I will  write  to  Miss  Marks.  I want 
to  distribute  a lot  to  the  clothless  poor.  Can  you  give 
some  of  the  blankets,  just  a few,  for  the  destitute  left 
at  Sujat  Road  and  any  deserving  cases  along  the  line? 

“ I enclose  two  notes  for  Disa  and  Raho,  showing  how 
they  have  begun  work  on  the  kitchens. 

“Mehsana  is  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr. 
Sheffield,  loco-foreman.” 

It  is  needless  to  say  the  bags  and  blankets  were  sent. 
The  poor  people  were  as  destitute  of  clothing  as  they 
were  of  food  in  many  places,  and  the  women  especially 
needed  covering.  Again  he  wrote : 

“ I am  to-day  opening  two  more  kitchens,  one  here 
and  the  other  at  Rani.  There  are  about  two  hundred 
starving  at  each  station.  I also  opened  a small  kitchen 
at  Banas,  and  will  let  you  know  later  on  how  we  are 

136 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


doing.  I have  also  written  to  the  state  people  at 
Jodhpur,  asking  them  to  permit  me  to  reopen  the 
kitchen  at  Sujat  Road,  and  expect  to  get  a reply  by 
next  week. 

“If  they  consent  I’ll  start  work  at  once,  for  the  poor 
people  are  gathering  again  there.  In  this  case  I shall 
want  some  more  of  the  American  maize.  Will  you  be 
able  to  give  me  any  more,  say  one  hundred  or  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  bags  from  either  Ajmir  or  Tilaunia  or 
Phalera?  I believe  the  Maharajah  Sirohi  has  stopped 
all  taking  away  of  children  from  his  state  and  ordered 
Pandita  Ramabai’s  people  away  from  Abu  Road,  and 
also  ordered  Mr.  Ker  to  stop  sending  children  away.  I 
am,  however,  doing  rescue  work  quietly  at  small  sta- 
tions, and  will  do  so  till  I get  an  order  to  stop.’’ 

Often  those  who  came  to  our  kitchens  came  too  late. 
They  were  so  weak  that  they  were  unable  to  digest  the 
coarse,  often  insufficiently  cooked,  food  we  were  prepared 
to  give  them.  There  was  a great  demand  for  tinned 
prepared  foods.  Messrs.  Morgan  and  Scott,  of  London, 
and  others  were  able  to  help  in  forwarding  large  supplies 
of  such  foods.  Mr.  Smith  shows  the  need  of  it  in  his 
letter  from  Raho: 

“ I stopped  here  this  evening  to  supervise  what  my 
sub-committee  is  doing  in  the  kitchen  I started  here. 
To-day  they  fed  130  children,  125  women,  and  70  men. 
The  men  and  women  cannot  get  work,  and  there  are  a 
great  number  of  children  and  women  in  a starved  con- 
dition. Our  sudden  feeding  has,  I am  afraid,  killed  a 
good  many  children.  The  station-master  tells  me,  after 
the  first  few  days  there  were  generally  four  or  five 
deaths  a day,  and  one  or  two,  even  now,  die  daily. 

“ He  had  to  put  on  four  men  to  bury  the  dead.  I 

*37 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


picked  out  seventeen  orphan  children,  mostly  girls,  and 
am  sending  them  oft  to-night  to  Sujat  Road,  where  I 
collect  and  send  them  off  every  week  to  Miss  Marks.  I 
sent  in  six  from  Kivrali  this  morning.  The  whole 
batch  will  be  sent  on  to  Miss  Marks  in  a day  or  two.  I 
enclose  an  account  of  our  week’s  work  at  Raho  up  to 
date.  No  rain,  and  the  outlook  is  very  gloomy.  I hope 
you  can  give  me  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  bags  more 
of  the  maize,  especially  if  I open  again  at  Sujat  Road.” 

Every  few  days  saw  a miserable  little  company  of 
rescued  children  on  their  way  to  Ajmir,  to  the  rescue 
camp,  where  they  would  be  washed  and  clothed  and 
carefully  attended,  and  fed  and  nursed  back  to  health, 
and  then  fitted  for  some  useful  employment  in  life.  It 
was  hard  sometimes  for  mothers  to  give  up  their  chil- 
dren to  entire  strangers,  but  it  was  harder  still  to  see 
them  pine  away  and  die  of  starvation.  Often  parents 
would  beseech  us  to  save  them.  And  so  the  good  work 
went  on.  Helpers  were  sent  out  to  rescue  children. 
The  heat  was  awful,  and  cholera  raged  in  many  places. 
On  the  ist  of  August  Air.  Smith  wrote  from  his  head- 
quarters at  Sujat  Road,  after  many  days  of  toil  in  the 
heat,  rescuing  and  feeding  the  people: 

“Dear  Dr.  Scott, — I have  not  written  for  some  time.  I 
have  been  so  ill  till  just  now  that  I could  not.  I cannot  send 
you  the  detailed  statement  of  our  kitchens,  but  the  following 
is  the  average  number  fed  daily:  Disa,  550;  Sarotra,  75;  Raho, 
350;  Banas,  150;  Erinpura  Road,  300;  Rani,  400.  Total,  about 
1800.  The  rescue  of  children  under  my  direction  is  going  on 
quite  well.  We  sent  in  a large  number  last  week  to  Ajmir,  to 
Miss  Marks.  Yours  very  sincerely, 

“S.  O.  Smith.” 

Here  were  six  kitchens,  feeding  on  an  average  eigh- 
teen hundred  people  every  day;  and  the  majority  of 

138 


AGED  BY  HUNGER 
Young  girl  of  fifteen  years 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


them  were  women  and  children,  who  were  unfit  to  go  on 
relief  works,  even  when  available,  being  too  weak  for 
work.  What  a blessing  such  a kitchen,  conducted  on 
benevolent  principles,  was  to  these  poor  people,  who 
had  no  other  hope  in  the  world,  and  no  one  about  them 
who  “considered  the  poor”!  With  this  example  of 
kindness  before  them,  it  is  no  wonder  that  parents  were 
willing  to  consign  their  children  to  our  care.  On  the 
ioth  of  August  he  wrote  to  Miss  Marks  from  Sujat 
Road: 

“ I trust  you  received  the  twenty-three  children  I sent 
in  to-day  all  right.  There  were  a good  many  girls.  I 
am  trying  to  pick  girls  as  well  as  I can.  Send  Kali  Khan 
to  Sujat  Road  by  local  on  Sunday ; give  him  fifty  rupees 
in  hand,  as  I shall  take  him  on  to  Disa.” 

On  August  1 8th  he  wrote  to  me : 

“I  have  distributed  150  seers  of  grain  to  farmers  at 
Raho  and  Sarotra,  with  twenty  - five  ploughs,  but,  as 
Mr.  Ker,  of  Abu  Road,  is  doing  this  also,  I’ll  not  do 
any  more  in  this  line. 

“ I am  now  preparing  to  give  out  clothing,1  about 
500  rupees’  worth,  principally  at  Raho,  Sarotra,  Disa, 
and  Banas.  I found  that  what  I gave  at  Erinpura  the 
people  used  for  food.  This,  I dare  say,  the  poor  people 
could  not  help,  as  the  state  people  stopped  my  kitchen 
and  did  not  feed  the  poor  wretches  themselves.  They 
have  come  back  again,  and  I have  reopened  the  kitchen, 
and  we  fed  yesterday  and  the  day  before  about  five 


1 Special  mention  should  be  made  of  Mrs.  I.  L.  Hauser,  of  Chicago, 
who  sent  out  many  cases  of  valuable  clothing,  ready  made,  to  be 
distributed  among  just  such  poor.  Much  of  it  was  distributed  from 
Ajmir  and  Phalera. 


9 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


hundred.  Rani  kitchen  has  been  entirely  stopped,  but 
good  work  is  being  done  at  Raho.  At  Disa,  just  before 
the  rain  began,  we  went  up  to  feeding  twelve  hundred  a 
day;  but  as  the  rains  have  relieved  the  situation  some- 
what they  have  again  reduced  to  about  five  hundred 
daily.  I gave  out  some  clothing  there  on  the  15th.”  1 

I quote  largely  from  these  letters  for  a number  of 
reasons.  They  show  how  a busy  man,  who  has  to  be 
out  at  his  work  nearly  all  the  time,  can  get  time  to  save 
the  starving  people  he  finds  about  him.  They  also  show 
some  of  the  difficulties  he  had  to  contend  with  in  feeding 
and  in  rescuing  the  children.  One  could  hardly  think  it 
possible  that  any  one  would  break  up  a kitchen  in  fam- 
ine time  when  hundreds  were  being  saved  from  starva- 
tion without  cost  to  the  people  or  the  state.  Even  if 
there  were  some  irregularities  about  it,  if  there  was  some 
overlapping,  and  if  starving  people  were  drawn  away 
from  the  state  relief  camp,  yet  surely  there  were  enough 
left  to  demand  all  the  resources  of  the  state. 


1 Mr.  Smith’s  health  gave  way  during  the  famine,  and  he  never  fully 
recovered  his  strength,  but  finally  died  in  Lahore,  in  September,  1901. 


XV 


BIKANIR 

“And  here  he  nearly  died  of  thirst,  plodding  through  the  sand 
on  a camel  to  the  mysterious  city  of  Bikanir,  where  the  wells 
are  four  hundred  feet  deep  and  lined  throughout  with  camel- 
bone.” — "Kim  ” (by  Rudyard  Kipling). 

Next  to  Jodhpur,  Bikanir,  which  lies  north  of  it,  is 
the  largest  native  state  of  Rajputana.  It  contains  22,340 
square  miles  of  territory,  without  mountains,  forests,  or 
rivers,  a great  plain  of  shifting  sand-hills,  from  twenty 
to  one  hundred  feet  high.  In  some  parts  there  is  stone, 
and  near  Bikanir  city  coal  has  been  recently  discovered, 
but  “all  other  ground  is  sinking  sand.” 

Lieutenant-Colonel  James  Todd,  political  agent  to  the 
western  Rajput  states  during  the  first  quarter  of  the 
last  century,  wrote  in  his  Annals  of  Rajisthan,  concerning 
this  part  of  the  territory  over  which  he  travelled,  as 
follows:  “The  whole  of  this  principality,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a few  isolated  spots,  or  oases,  scattered  here 
and  there,  consists  more  or  less  of  sand.  From  the 
eastern  to  the  western  boundary,  in  the  line  of  great- 
est breadth,  it  is  one  continuous  plain  of  sand,  though 
the  teebas,  or  sand-hills,  commence  in  the  centre  of  the 
country,  the  principal  chain  running  in  the  direction  of 
Jessulmeer,  and  shooting  forth  subordinate  branches  in 
every  direction ; or  it  might  be  more  correct  to  designate 
this  main  ridge,  originating  in  the  tracts  bordering  the 
eastern  valley  of  the  Indus,  as  terminating  its  elevations 

141 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


about  the  heart  of  Bikaneer.”  In  this  great  plain  of 
sand  there  are  some  tracts  where  the  soil  is  good  and 
the  water  near  the  surface.  This  is  true  on  the  north- 
east quarter,  from  Bhutnair  to  the  banks  of  the  Garah 
and  over  nearly  the  whole  of  the  ancient  Mohilla  canton. 

“But,  exclusive  of  such  spots,’’  says  Colonel  Todd, 
“ which  are  few  and  far  between,  we  cannot  describe  the 
desert  as  ‘ a waste  where  no  salutary  plant  takes  root,  no 
verdure  quickens  ’ ; for,  though  the  poverty  of  the  soil 
refuses  to  aid  the  germination  of  the  more  luxuriant 
grains,  Providence  has  provided  a countervailing  good, 
in  giving  to  those  it  can  rear  a richness  and  superior- 
ity unknown  to  more  favored  regions.”  Wheat,  gram, 
and  especially  the  grain  called  bajra,  are  of  a superior 
quality.  Cotton  is  grown  in  those  places  favorable  for 
wheat,  and  Colonel  Todd  says  that  “the  plant  is  said  to 
be  septennial,  even  decennial,  in  these  regions” ; that  “ as 
soon  as  the  cotton  is  gathered,  the  shoots  are  all  cut  off 
and  the  root  alone  left.  Each  succeeding  year  the  plant 
increases  in  strength,  and  at  length  attains  a size  un- 
known where  it  is  more  abundantly  cultivated.”  This 
part  of  Rajputana  is  especially  noted  for  its  many 
spontaneous  vegetable  products.  The  watermelon 
grows  in  great  abundance  and  to  a very  great  size,  and 
it  is  as  excellent  in  quality  as  it  is  abundant  in  quantity. 
It  is  noted  beyond  the  boundaries  of  Bikanir,  even  where 
other  fruits  are  plentiful,  and  at  home  it  is  cut  in  slices 
and  dried  in  the  sun  and  stored  up  for  future  use,  when, 
perhaps,  there  are  no  vegetables,  or  when  there  is  a 
famine  sore  on  the  land.  “ In  these  arid  regions,  ’ says 
Colonel  Todd,  in  his  valuable  Annals , “where  they  de- 
pend entirely  on  the  heavens  for  water,  and  where  they 
calculate  on  a famine  every  seventh  year,  nothing  that 
can  administer  to  the  wants  of  man  is  lost.  The  seeds 
of  the  wild  grapes  are  collected,  and,  mixed  with  bajra 

142 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


flour,  enter  much  into  the  food  of  the  poorer  classes. 
They  also  store  up  great  quantities  of  the  wild  ber,  khyr, 
and  kliaril  berries;  and  the  long  pods  of  the  kaijra,  as- 
tringent and  bitter  as  they  are,  are  dried  and  formed 
into  a flour.  Nothing  is  lost  in  these  regions  which  can 
be  converted  into  food.” 

The  water  supply  throughout  these  regions  is  very 
scanty.  The  normal  rainfall  throughout  the  state  is 
very  much  below  that  of  more  favored  regions,  in  many 
places  being  not  more  than  nine  inches,  compared  with 
an  average  of  forty-one  inches  throughout  the  empire. 
There  are  no  rivers,  and  the  few  lakes  to  be  found  con- 
tain water  too  brackish  either  for  drinking  or  irrigation 
purposes.  The  people  are,  therefore,  dependent  upon 
their  wells.  Concerning  the  water,  our  Annals  state 
that  “this  indispensable  element  is  at  an  immense  dis- 
tance from  the  surface  throughout  the  Indian  desert, 
which,  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  many  others,  differs 
very  materially  from  that  portion  of  the  great  African 
desert  in  the  same  latitudes.  Near  the  capital  the 
wells  are  more  than  two  hundred  cubits,  or  three  hun- 
dred feet,  in  depth ; and  it  is  rare  that  water  fit  for  man 
is  found  at  a less  distance  from  the  surface  than  sixty 
in  the  tracts  decidedly  termed  thul,  or  desert.” 

At  Bikanir  city  I saw  wells  more  than  three  hundred 
feet  deep,  with  little  engines  at  the  mouth  to  draw  up 
the  water.  But  in  many  places  even  the  well-water  is 
so  salty  and  bitter  that  it  is  unfit  either  for  drinking  or 
for  the  field,  and  the  people  are  compelled  to  depend 
upon  rain-water.  As  in  famine  times  most  of  the  wells 
go  dry,  or,  as  they  say,  become  “blind,”  and  as  there 
is  no  rain-water,  the  poor  people  not  only  starve  for 
want  of  food,  but  famish  for  lack  of  water. 

The  population  of  Bikanir  state  is  about  eight  hun- 
dred thousand,  standing  fourth  as  to  population  of  the 

i43 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Rajputana  states.  The  territory,  from  time  immemo- 
rial, was  in  the  possession  of  the  Jits,  or  Jats,  a pastoral 
people  of  Scythic  origin,  until  conquered  by  the  Rahtore 
Rajputs  of  Jodhpur,  five  centuries  ago.  The  state  was 
founded  by  Bika,  bom  in  1439,  sixth  son  of  Jodh  Rao, 
the  founder  of  Jodhpur.  Bika  entered  upon  its  conquest 
in  1459  and  established  his  capital  at  Bikanir  in  1489. 
“To  this  day,”  writes  the  historian,  “the  descendant  of 
Pandu  applies  the  unguent  of  royalty  to  the  forehead 
of  the  successors  of  Beeka,  on  which  occasion  the  prince 
places  ‘the  fine  of  relief,’  consisting  of  twenty-five  pieces 
of  gold,  in  the  hand  of  the  Jit.  Moreover,  the  spot 
which  he  selected  for  his  capital  was  the  birthright  of 
a Jit,  who  would  only  concede  it  for  this  purpose  on  the 
condition  that  his  name  should  be  linked  in  perpetuity 
with  its  surrender.  Naira,  or  Nera  (Nir),  was  the  name 
of  the  proprietor,  which  Beeka  added  to  his  own, 
thus  composing  that  of  the  future  capital,  Beekaneer” 
(Bikanir). 

Maharajah  Sri  Ganga  Singh,  Bahadur,  is  the  present 
ruling  chief.  He  is  a young  man  of  some  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  enlightened  in  his  ways,  and  possessing  a 
good  English  education.  The  revenues  of  the  state 
amount  to  about  eighteen  lakhs  of  rupees,  or  $600,000, 
annually. 

Bikanir,  the  capital,  the  city  of  the  desert,  has  a 
population  under  fifty  thousand.  It  is  surrounded  by 
a stone  wall,  with  battlements  and  towers,  and  has  a 
solid  and  substantial  appearance.  For  hundreds  of 
years  Bikanir  has  been  the  home  of  wealthy  merchants 
and  bankers,  who  do  business  in  Calcutta  and  Bombay 
and  other  large  cities  of  the  empire.  The  Jodhpur- 
Bikanir  railway  has  been  in  operation  for  some  years, 
and  the  extension  is  being  pushed  on  to  Bhatinda,  which 
will  give  an  outlet  to  the  Punjab. 

144 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


But  one  crop  is  raised  during  the  year,  when  the 
season  is  favorable.  Millets  form  the  staple  crops. 
Although  sand  abounds,  yet  in  good  years,  during  and 
after  the  rains,  the  grass  grows  in  abundance,  making 
it  a splendid  pasture-land.  In  consequence  Bikanir  is 
famous  for  its  horses,  cattle,  and  buffaloes.  Camels  also 
thrive,  and  are  found  most  useful  in  travelling  across  the 
sandy  plains.  During  the  late  famine  Bikanir,  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  was  a land  of  death.  The  conditions 
were  perfect.  But  little  rain  had  fallen  for  three  years. 
The  wells,  for  the  most  part,  had  gone  dry.  There  were 
no  rivers  or  canals.  There  was  nothing  in  all  that  great, 
rolling  plain  of  twenty-two  thousand  square  miles  but 
burning  sand.  The  cattle  were  driven  away  in  search 
of  pasturage,  or  their  bones  and  hides  had  become 
articles  of  commerce,  and  were  either  giving  forth  their 
evil  odor  at  the  railway-stations,  or  else  were  rattling 
down  over  the  road  to  Cawnpore  or  Bombay  to  find  a 
market.  Whole  villages  were  deserted,  only  the  bare 
walls  showing  where  human  beings  had  lived.  A rail- 
way official  told  me  that  he  saw  parts  of  a human  skeleton 
in  a bone-heap.  A gentleman  travelling  with  me  in  the 
compartment  of  a train  sprang  to  his  feet  and  pointed 
to  dogs  devouring  a human  body  at  the  side  of  the  line. 
The  cry  of  the  hungry  at  the  railway-stations  haunt 
me  still.  Children,  with  old-looking,  pinched  faces  and 
shrunken  bodies  and  spindly  legs,  held  out  their  puny 
little  hands  and  begged.  Mothers,  often  with  mere 
skeletons  of  babies  in  their  arms  and  other  children 
dragging  at  their  scanty,  ragged  skirts,  pleaded  not  so 
much  for  themselves  as  for  their  offspring.  Over  it  all 
was  the  silence  of  death.  The  heavens  were  brass.  The 
wind  blew  fierce  and  hot,  and  the  sand  it  carried  stung 
as  it  struck  the  face  and  settled  down  upon  everything. 
The  very  crows,  usually  so  jaunty  and  impudent,  sat 
io  145 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


forlorn,  with  wide  - open  mouths,  gasping  for  breath. 
And  cholera!  Alas  for  the  poor  wretches  eating  things 
never  intended  for  human  food,  and  drinking  the  filthy, 
contaminated  water  of  the  almost  empty  tank  or  well ! 
I spent  a day  at  Nagaur,  between  Merta  Road  and 
Bikanir,  when  scores  were  dying  daily.  The  water 
brought  me  from  a well,  two  miles  distant,  was  of  the 
color  of  chocolate  and  of  the  consistency  of  pea-soup. 
No  permanganate  of  potash,  or  other  chemical  known 
to  the  sanitary  committee  or  medical  profession,  could 
take  the  microbes  out  of  such  water.  The  theorist  says 
“ Boil  it.”  But  where  is  the  fuel  to  come  from  in  such 
times  as  these?  Besides,  no  boiling  could  make  such 
water  pure.  But  Bikanir  state  was  not  neglected  by 
its  energetic  rajah.  More  was  done  here  to  help  the 
people  than  in  some  other  places.  Relief  works  were 
opened ; roads,  tanks,  and  wells,  and  other  useful  works 
were  put  under  construction  to  give  employment  to 
the  people.  It  is  a great  thing  even,  although  the 
achievement  of  complete  success  be  beyond  one’s  power, 
to  make  an  effort.  When  the  famine  came  it  was  a 
testing  time,  and  the  imperial  government  was  anxious 
to  know  how  the  feudatory  states  would  act  in  such 
an  emergency.  As  Mr.  Nash  has  said: 

“What  was  the  policy  of  the  native  princes  going  to 
be  ? Some  of  them  had  no  money  in  the  treasury,  others 
were  known  or  suspected  to  be  indifferent  as  to  what 
became  of  their  subjects,  and  not  a rajah  had  before 
been  called  upon  to  steer  his  ship  through  a tempest 
that  threatened  annihilation.  The  Viceroy,  at  any  rate, 
lost  no  time  in  declaring  his  policy ; and  he  decided  early 
in  the  day  to  give  the  native  rulers  a strong  lead.  He 
offered  loans  on  easy  terms  to  the  states  that  wanted 
money ; he  sent  to  Rajputana,  as  Famine  Commissioner, 

146 


FAMINE  CHILDREN — EVERY-DAY  SPECIMENS 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Major  Dunlop-Smith,  who  won  his  spurs  in  Hissar  at 
the  last  famine  in  the  Punjab,  and  he  offered  the  services 
of  staff -corps  men,  engineers,  and  doctors.  Nobody 
could  have  given  more  practical  or  strenuous  encour- 
agement to  the  chiefs,  and  Lord  Curzon  may  to-day 
fairly  congratulate  himself  on  the  way  in  which  his 
challenge  was  accepted.  With  a few  exceptions,  the 
princes,  both  in  Rajputana  and  other  districts,  have  set 
manfully  to  the  task  of  saving  life,  and,  so  far  as  I can 
judge,  the  famine  organization  in  Rajputana  has  been 
as  successful  as  could  be  expected.  There  have  been 
several  cases  in  which  the  native  princes  have  shown  a 
signal  public  spirit  and  capacity  for  effective  leadership. 
The  young  maharajah  of  Bikanir  took  his  place  at  the 
head  of  the  famine  organization  from  the  start.  He 
set  works  going  in  the  desert,  organized  a system  of  grain 
supply,  and  turned  over  to  the  famine  service  the  camel 
corps  of  the  imperial  service  which  Lord  Dufferin  in- 
vited the  native  states  to  organize.” 

We  early  commenced  to  distribute  relief  to  the  starv- 
ing people  of  Bikanir  state.  At  first,  money  relief  was 
given,  but  afterwards  doles  of  grain  were  substituted, 
as  thus  their  primary  need  was  directly  met.  A wagon 
of  Christian  Herald  com,  aggregating  four  hundred 
bushels,  was  sent  to  Bikanir,  and  a shop  was  opened 
within  the  city  walls.  The  maharajah  kindly  remitted 
the  octroi  tax  and  allowed  it  to  enter  duty  free.  The 
political  agent  also  wrote  me  as  follows : 

‘‘Dear  Sir, — I have  to  acknowledge  your  letter  of  the  27th 
of  June.  His  Highness  is  grateful  to  you  for  the  trouble  you 
have  taken  in  distributing  the  maize  at  Bikanir,  and  hopes  that 
you  will  express  to  the  donors  how  he  appreciates  their  kindness. 

“Believe  me,  yours  very  truly, 

“H.  A.  Vincent,  Resident.” 
147 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Advantage  was  taken  of  the  need  of  teachers  for 
primary  schools  to  train  some  of  the  present  unem- 
ployed for  this  work,  which  would  be  reopened,  it  was 
hoped,  in  the  future  more  prosperous  times.  A train- 
ing-school, attended  by  about  thirty  men,  women,  and 
children,  was  kept  up,  and  the  poor  people  were  fed 
with  the  com.  Many  weavers  were  employed,  weaving 
woollen  blankets,  of  which  they  made  about  two  thou- 
sand. The  famine  was  particularly  hard  upon  weavers. 
In  famine  times  they  neither  have  materials  with  which 
to  weave  cloth  nor  a market  for  their  products.  The 
weavers  as  a class  are,  even  in  the  best  of  times,  no- 
where well  to  do.  The  census  of  1891  returned  for 
British  India  9,655,231  “ manufacturers  of  textile  fabrics 
and  dress,”  and  the  Famine  Commission  of  1898  say 
of  them: 

‘‘The  effect  of  a calamity  such  as  famine  soon  mani- 
fests itself  on  the  weaver  population  When  the  crops 
fail,  the  resources  of  the  people  at  large  are  crippled, 
the  customary  demand  for  cloth  is  arrested,  the  weav- 
ing trade,  ceasing  for  want  of  a market  to  be  a source 
of  profit,  fails  to  be  a means  of  support  to  those  engaged 
in  it,  and  the  high  price  of  food-grains,  induced  by  fam- 
ine, aggravates  their  depressed  condition  As  in  the 
case  of  the  poorer  agricultural  and  the  laboring  classes, 
it  then  becomes  necessary  for  the  state  to  intervene  and 
help  the  weavers  by  providing  them  with  the  means  of 
earning  a wage  enough  for  their  subsistence.  The  im- 
portant question  arises,  what  should  be  the  mode  of 
relief  in  their  case  ? Should  they  be  employed  in  their 
own  craft,  or  in  some  other  form  of  manual  labor?” 

It  is,  no  doubt,  every  way  preferable  to  give  them 
work  that  will  keep  them  employed  in  their  own  craft. 

148 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Agents  were  employed  to  purchase  all  the  wool  that 
could  be  found;  and  wherever  starving  weavers  were 
found  they  were  set  to  work  weaving  cloth.  In  this 
way  they  were  not  only  saved  from  starvation,  but  saved 
to  their  profession,  which  would  die  out  if  they  sank 
down  into  mere  tillers  of  the  soil. 

In  some  places  money  had  to  be  given  to  buy  water. 
As  at  Nagaur,  so  at  other  places,  it  had  to  be  brought 
from  long  distances,  and  was  very  scarce  in  quantity 
and  poor  in  quality.  Even  in  the  best  of  years,  in  many 
places  water  is  sold.  “ Water  is  sold,”  says  Colonel  Todd, 
“in  all  the  large  towns,  by  the  mallis,  or  gardeners,  who 
have  the  monopoly  of  this  article.  Most  families  have 
large  cisterns,  or  reservoirs,  called  tankas,  which  are  filled 
in  the  rainy  season.  They  are  of  masonry,  with  a small 
trap-door  at  the  top,  made  to  exclude  the  external  air, 
and  having  a lock  and  key  affixed.  Some  large  tankas 
are  established  for  the  community,  and  I understand 
that  this  water  keeps  sweet  for  eight  and  ten  months’ 
consumption.”  In  famine  time  the  supply  would  be- 
come exhausted,  and  no  water  could  be  had  for  love  or 
money. 


XVI 


AJMIR-MAIRWARA 

“Oh,  come  with  me  and  ye  shall  see 
How  well  I begin  the  day, 

For  I’ll  hie  to  the  hungriest  slave  I have 
And  snatch  his  loaf  away. 

Oh,  come  with  me  and  ye  shall  see 
How  my  skeleton  victims  fall; 

How  I order  the  graves  without  a stone, 

And  the  coffins  without  a pall.” 

— Eliza  Cook. 

Ajmir  is  the  capital  of  the  British  province  of  Ajmir- 
Mairvvara,  which  nestles  like  an  oasis  in  the  centre  of  a 
great  desert  of  sand.  This  province  contains  an  area  of 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  square  miles,  and  has  a 
population  of  about  five  hundred  and  forty-three  thou- 
sand, the  city  itself  having  about  fifty  thousand. 

The  city  is  situated  on  the  crest  of  the  great  Raj- 
putana  water -shed,  occupying,  as  it  does,  the  lower 
slopes  of  the  hill  Taragarh,  which  dominates  the  city 
and  rises  to  2855  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The 
city,  like  most  of  the  towns  of  Rajputana,  is  surrounded 
by  a stone  wall  and  has  five  gateways.  It  has  some 
wide  streets  and  well-built  houses  and  a few  places  of 
historic  interest.  Tradition  says  it  was  founded  in  145 
a.d.  Akbar  had  a palace  outside  its  walls,  and  Jahan- 
gir made  it  his  capital  for  several  years.  It  was  taken 
by  the  Mahrattas,  who  retained  it  till  Sindhia  made  it 
over  to  the  English,  in  1818.  The  history  of  Marwar, 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


or  Mairwara,  the  hill  country  of  the  Mairs,  lying  to  the 
southwest  of  the  Ajmir  district,  is  exceedingly  interest- 
ing, as  showing  not  only  how  a rough,  uncivilized  people 
may  be  tamed,  but  how  a rough,  unfruitful  territory 
may  be  made  fruitful  and  peaceful.  The  story  has  been 
related  thus : 

“For  many  centuries  its  inhabitants  were  savage 
marauders,  the  terror  of  the  surrounding  nations.  They 
made  plundering  expeditions  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
adjoining  territories,  but  their  movements  were  so  rapid 
that  they  generally  retreated  in  safety  to  their  strong- 
holds. The  large  states  of  Rajputana,  in  attempting 
to  subjugate  Mairwara,  not  only  entirely  failed,  but  at 
times  suffered  great  losses.  Though  they  occasionally 
took  a fort  or  burned  villages  here  and  there,  they  never 
succeeded  in  overcoming  any  considerable  body  of 
Mairs;  while  the  latter,  watching  the  opportunity,  and 
descending  rapidly  on  some  weak  point,  often  took 
ample  revenge.  Many  of  them  were  fugitives  from 
other  states ; they  were  robbers  by  profession  and  prac- 
tice. They  had  little  or  no  regard  for  human  life  or 
liberty — murdering  their  daughters,  selling  their  moth- 
ers, committing  every  kind  of  atrocity,  without  shame 
and  without  remorse. 

“When  the  district  came  under  the  British,  armed 
bands  paraded  the  country  or  occupied  the  passes.  The 
servants  of  government  were  cut  off ; prisoners  were  res- 
cued. There  was  no  safety  on  the  public  ways.  Captain 
Hall,  the  agent  of  government,  first  formed  a regiment 
composed  of  Mairs.  When  trained,  they  proved  them- 
selves to  be  good  and  loyal  soldiers,  and  through  them 
the  robber-gangs  were  suppressed. 

“The  Mairs  had  always  had  the  most  primitive  ideas 
of  justice.  Either  the  contending  parties,  backed  by 

iSi 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


their  sympathizing  kinsmen,  resorted  to  the  sword,  and 
blood-feuds  were  handed  down  among  them  from  son 
to  son,  or  the  accused  was  challenged  to  prove  his  inno- 
cence by  thrusting  his  hand  into  boiling  oil  or  grasp- 
ing a red-hot  shot.  Captain  Hall  introduced  the  Pan- 
cliayat 1 system  for  all  except  the  highest  class  of  offences. 

“ But  the  plough  was  the  chief  civilizer.  In  1835  Cap- 
tain Hall  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Dixon.  Hitherto 
the  land  had  been  so  difficult  of  cultivation  that  no  one 
cared  to  possess  it.  The  rains  were  uncertain,  and  in 
a mountainous  country,  without  artificial  means  of  re- 
tention, the  water  soon  ran  off.  By  constructing  em- 
bankments across  valleys,  by  sinking  wells  and  digging 
tanks,  a water  supply  was  obtained.  Every  man  was 
encouraged  by  small  advances  of  money  to  apply  him- 
self to  agriculture.  A large  number  of  professional  rob- 
bers were  converted  into  industrious  farmers,  and  peace 
smiled  upon  the  land. 

“Dixon’s  next  step  was  to  get  traders  to  settle  in  the 
country.  He  built  a town  called  Nyanagar — ‘ New  City.’ 
The  Mairs  at  first  did  not  see  the  good  of  this,  and 
thought  it  would  only  have  the  effect  of  subjecting  them 
to  unaccustomed  exactions.  The  traders  were  also 
afraid  lest  the  Mairs  should  swoop  down  upon  the  city 
and  loot  it;  so  they  asked  that  a wall  should  be  built 
for  their  protection,  which  was  done.  In  a short  time 
Nyanagar  had  nearly  two  thousand  families. 

“ As  early  as  1827  Captain  Hall  reported  the  complete 
and  voluntary  abolition  of  the  sale  of  women  and  of 
female  infanticide.  The  security  of  the  country  now  is 
so  great  that  the  Mairs  have  mostly  left  the  tops  and 
declivities  of  the  mountains,  where  they  formerly  con- 
cealed themselves,  and  taken  up  their  residence  in  ham- 

1 A native  court  of  arbitration,  consisting  of  the  leaders  of  the 
clan. 


i52 


RESCUED  CHILDREN,  AJMIR 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


lets,  or  single  houses,  among  their  fields  and  by  the  side 
of  their  wells.  Their  smiling  and  healthful  countenances 
and  their  well-dressed  condition  show  that  they  are  a 
prosperous  people.” 

I have  seen  some  of  those  ‘‘embankments  across  val- 
leys,” and  also  the  valleys  made  to  “blossom  as  the 
rose”  by  them.  It  shows  what  good  government  can 
do  for  the  people,  and  how  a strong,  independent,  yet 
kindly  hand  is  needed  in  a country  like  this. 

During  the  famine  Ajmir  was  one  of  the  chief  centres 
from  which  we  carried  our  relief  to  the  stricken  people 
in  the  villages.  It  was  a mart  for  our  grain  for  the 
hungry,  and  a storehouse  for  clothing  for  the  naked, 
and  a dispensary  from  which  medicines  were  dispensed 
to  the  sick,  an  asylum  for  the  widows  and  orphans,  and 
a rest-camp  for  waifs  rescued  and  carried  to  other  places 
of  refuge.  Two  thousand  bags  of  corn,  just  unloaded 
from  the  steamship  Quito  and  put  down  at  the  door  pre- 
paid, found  here  ready  hands,  moved  by  grateful  hearts, 
ready  to  distribute ; and  by  bullock-cart  and  by  railway- 
train  and  on  stately  camel  went  into  many  a town  and 
village  to  feed  the  hungry — this  food,  sanctified  and 
blessed  by  the  prayers  of  many  donors — the  gift  of  “the 
farmers  of  Kansas  to  the  farmers  of  India.”  Some 
went  to  Srinagar  and  to  Kharwa  to  feed  the  Bhils,  some 
to  Bir  and  Pisangan  to  feed  the  Sweepers,  and  some  to 
Sujat  Road  and  Disa  to  feed  all  classes.  The  only 
thing  that  distressed  me  was  that,  after  having  been 
put  down  free  of  all  charges  in  Ajmir,  the  munic- 
ipality made  us  pay  octroi  duty  on  it,  which  had 
to  be  paid  out  of  famine  money  sent  to  save  from  star- 
vation. 

From  far  and  near  were  brought  to  Ajmir,  to  be  dis- 
tributed to  places  of  refuge,  the  gaunt  and  starving 

i53 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


waifs.  Between  four  and  five  thousand  miserable  hu- 
man beings  were  thus  snatched  from  death. 

Mr.  Clancy  tells  what  he  saw  one  day: 

“At  Ajmir  I went  to  the  station  to  see  a company  of 
people  that  were  being  taken  through  by  two  ladies. 
They  stopped  at  Ajmir  to  rest  and  give  them  food.  It 
was  a most  repulsive  sight.  When  they  got  out  of  the 
train  they  were  in  worse  condition  than  a car-load  of 
hogs,  and  the  smells  were  almost  unendurable,  and  yet 
those  refined  ladies  went  about  among  them,  attending 
to  their  wants  as  if  they  were  their  brothers  and  sisters. 
Before  they  left  two  or  three  of  the  worst  cases  died. 
One  who  has  not  seen  famine  can  form  no  idea  of  what 
it  means.” 

I was  present  there  that  day.  It  was  in  the  month 
of  June,  the  hottest  month  in  the  year,  when  the  ther- 
mometer registers  160  degrees  in  the  sun  and  115  de- 
grees in  the  shade.  And  yet  these  refined  ladies  had 
travelled  with  those  children  for  hours  in  a third- 
class  carriage.  When  they  were  got  out  of  the  train 
onto  the  long  railway  - platform,  the  only  thing  that 
could  be  done  in  the  way  of  cleansing  was  to  call  water- 
men and  have  them  pour  water  over  them  from  the 
water-skins.  There  was  no  place  for  them  to  rest  on 
the  platform;  in  fact,  they  would  not  be  allowed  to  re- 
main there,  so  I hastened  across  the  street  and  secured 
the  vrhole  of  a native  inn — an  open  court-yard  wTith 
rows  of  rooms  around  it,  fronted  by  a veranda  — and 
into  this  they  were  taken  to  rest,  and  be  fed,  and  awrait 
the  time  of  departure  in  the  afternoon. 

The  dormitories  for  the  orphan  girls  became  too 
crowded,  and  the  matter  was  made  more  embarrass- 
ing by  taking  in  a large  number  of  women,  vrho  wrere  ac- 

i54 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


commodated  in  out-houses.  The  old  Mission  property 
was  sold,  and  new  dormitories  for  the  boys  and  a new 
church  were  built,  and  were  overcrowded  from  the  be- 
ginning, necessitating  the  erection  of  additional  dormi- 
tories. Early  in  May  several  cases  of  cholera  occurred, 
which  so  alarmed  the  authorities  that,  after  much  cor- 
respondence and  various  consultations,  we  were  with 
reluctance  permitted,  under  certain  conditions,  to  fix 
the  maximum  number  of  girls  at  two  hundred,  and  the 
Widows’  Home  was  to  be  removed  altogether.  Cholera 
growing  worse  and  many  deaths  occurring,  the  whole 
of  the  women  and  girls  were  removed  to  a cholera 
camp,  as  already  mentioned.  Concerning  this  work  Mr. 
Clancy,  of  Allahabad,  who  visited  Ajmir  in  June,  re- 
marks : 

“ Miss  Lilian  Marks,  assisted  by  Miss  Tryon  and  Miss 
Dr.  Emma  Scott,  has  been  doing  nobly.  A little  over 
a month  ago  cholera  broke  out  in  the  girls’  school  at 
Ajmir,  and  carried  off  twenty.  One  of  the  number  was 
the  matron,  who  had  been  a very  faithful  worker.  The 
people  living  near  the  school  became  frightened,  and  the 
authorities  compelled  them  to  move  out  into  the  country 
two  miles.  There  they  had  to  live  in  tents,  under  the 
blazing  sun,  with  a very  scanty  supply  of  water,  yet 
none  of  these  brave  women  even  thought  of  running 
away.  The  cholera  has  at  last  subsided,  and  their  work 
is  progressing  favorably.  They  are  planning  to  take 
five  hundred  famine  children  into  their  schools  at  Ajmir. 
This  will  entail  a tremendous  cost,  to  house,  clothe,  feed, 
and  educate  them.  They  have  sent  away  hundreds  of 
children  to  other  schools.” 

They  were  no  sooner  back  from  the  cholera  camp  than 
it  was  necessary  to  look  up  additional  quarters  for  the 

IS5 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


rapidly  increasing  famine  refugees,  and  a large  native 
serai,  or  inn,  was  rented  at  about  twenty-seven  dollars 
a month,  and  several  hundred  were  sent  there  under  the 
care  of  Miss  Tryon.  This  inn  was  in  the  city,  and 
opened  into  the  public  road.  But  the  fear  of  cholera 
was  upon  every  one,  and  on  June  6th,  Miss  Marks  wrote: 

“ Ajmir,  Rajputana,  June  6,  igoo. 

“Dear  Dr.  Scott, — Here  I am  again  with  another  tale  of 
woe.  I am  not  discouraged,  but  perplexed.  God  closes  our 
way  here,  but  surely  He  has  better  things  for  us  somewhere. 

“The  Hindustani  doctor  informed  me  this  morning  that  we 
cannot  keep  famine  people  in  that  serai.  I took  it  for  ten  months 
at  eighty  rupees  per  month.  They  must  let  me  keep  the  weavers 
there.  But  what  am  I to  do  with  our  extra  orphans?  We 
cannot  keep  very  many  in  Tilaunia,  and  Phalera  does  not  seem 
a good  place,  as  very  few  of  the  orphans  are  coming  from  that 
direction.  The  Jodhpur  rajah  closes  our  way.  I am  turning,  or, 
rather,  have  turned,  sixty-seven  boys  over  to  the  Plomers  to- 
day. The  boys  can  sleep  out-doors  until  the  barrack  is  finished. 

“Yours  sincerely, 

“L.  E.  Marks.” 

On  the  9th,  Miss  Scott  (who  had  volunteered  from 
Bindraban  to  spend  her  vacation  in  helping  Miss  Marks 
in  famine  work)  wrote : 

“Miss  Marks  is  going  to  see  the  civil  surgeon  about 
the  serai.  The  authorities  do  not  seem  pleased  to  have 
the  people  gathered  in  it,  and  say  it  must  be  closed. 
Since  it  is  taken  for  ten  months,  Miss  Marks  thinks  it 
can  be  used  for  the  weaving  if  she  is  prevented  from 
using  it  for  its  present  purpose.  Mr.  Smith  thinks  the 
best  places  down  that  road  for  an  orphanage  would  be 
Sujat  Road  or  Abu  Road.  Two  of  the  workers  yester- 
day, while  bringing  children  from  the  station  to  the 
house,  were  attacked  by  an  Arya  and  beaten,  because 
they  would  not  give  the  children  to  him.  Miss  Plomer 

156 


GROUP  OF  ORPHANS,  AJMIR 
After  two  months 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


leaves  Monday.  She  will  bring  sixty  people  up  from 
Sujat  Road  on  the  evening  train.  Miss  Marks  is  quite 
delighted  at  the  prospect  of  Mr.  Robinson  being  here. 
He  can  look  after  building,  weaving,  grain-shops,  and 
kitchens,  and  give  her  leisure  to  gather  in  children  for 
the  new  orphanage.” 

The  scare  about  being  turned  out  of  the  serai  passed 
away  with  the  cholera,  and  on  the  12  th  of  June  Miss 
Scott  wrote  again : 

‘ ‘ The  serai  has  proved  quite  a success ; there  are  over 
one  hundred  persons,  ninety-two  of  them  boys,  and  fifty 
to  go  from  here  to-day. 

“ I meant  to  ask  you  when  you  were  here  what  you 
thought  of  my  staying  for  a while,  till  new  help  can 
come.  If  this  isn’t  done  at  once,  it  will  be  too  late  in 
a short  time,  and  the  opportunity  be  gone.  If  you  think 
best  for  me  to  stay,  especially  if  there  is  a chance  to 
open  the  new  orphanage  in  or  near  Erinpura,  will  you 
kindly  have  my  wheel  sent  me,  or  bring  it  when  you 
come  again?  It  is  at  the  Deaconess  Home.  In  going 
back  and  forth  from  the  serai  it  will  be  very  useful,  if 
you  think  best  for  me  to  stay  perhaps  a few  months 
longer.  Money  was  granted  by  the  society  for  an  assist- 
ant in  Bindraban  (sixty  rupees  a month),  which  has  not 
been  used,  and  is  being  held  in  reserve  by  the  treasurer. 
It  has  been  granted  on  condition  that  Miss  Burman  was 
not  reappointed,  but  could  be  used  under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances, and  even  seventy-five  rupees  a month  paid 
from  now  on  for  a doctor  to  take  up  the  work  there  for 
a short  time.  Then,  if  she  proved  a proper  person,  the 
society  could  keep  her  permanently.  Then  I could 
itinerate  or  do  anything  I liked.  Miss  Burman  is  a 
better  evangelist  and  preacher  than  I would  ever  be, 

I57 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


and  can  look  after  that  part  of  the  work,  if  there  is  some 
one  else  in  the  dispensary.  If  you  think  I would  better 
come  home  now,  and  find  some  one  else  for  here,  I will 
be  ready  any  time,  only  I like  these  boys  very  much.” 

In  order  to  understand  Miss  Scott’s  anxiety  about 
Bindraban,  it  is  necessary  to  give  a brief  history  of  her 
connection  with  that  interesting  and  important  place. 
Bindraban  is  a town  of  twenty-five  thousand  souls,  seven 
miles  north  of  Muttra,  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river  Jumna,  and  connected  with  Muttra  by  rail.  It  is 
a sacred  city  of  the  Hindus,  being  devoted  to  the  mem- 
ory and  worship  of  Krishna,  the  eighth  incarnation  of 
Vishnu.  In  it  are  a thousand  temples,  and  it  is  said 
that  some  eight  thousand  widows  make  it  their  home. 
Dr.  Scott  took  up  the  work  there  in  1897,  being  the  first 
foreigner  to  live  in  the  place.  Consequently,  there  be- 
ing no  European  residence  available,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  live  in  a native  house.  A small  house  was  taken 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  town,  on  a narrow  street,  in 
which  Miss  Scott  lived  and  carried  on  her  work  for  a 
year.  Out  of  deference  to  the  religious  scruples  of  the 
Brahmins,  she  became  a vegetarian.  She  opened  a dis- 
pensary, and  treated  all  classes  alike.  In  1898  a bunga- 
low and  dispensary  building  were  completed,  and  the 
work  expanded,  not  only  in  the  town,  but  throughout 
the  district.  Miss  Burman  joined  her  in  1899.  When 
the  famine  in  Rajputana  became  severe,  Miss  Scott,  as 
stated  elsewhere,  volunteered  to  help  in  the  work,  and 
continued  to  do  so  until  she  broke  down,  although  she 
felt  her  responsibility  for  the  work  in  Bindraban  also. 
I was  able  to  arrange  for  the  medical  work  in  Bindraban, 
and  wrote  and  told  her  to  remain,  and  she  stayed  on 
with  the  boys  she  loved  so  much,  taking  no  thought  for 
her  own  comfort  or  rest,  but  all  through  those  awful 

158 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


hot  days  and  nights  nursing  and  helping  back  into  life 
men,  women,  and  children,  from  the  Sweeper  to  the 
Brahmin,  desiring  not  “to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister.” 

The  next  thing  that  engaged  the  energy  of  the  work- 
ers at  Ajmir  was  the  Christian  Herald  corn,  which  ar- 
rived in  Bombay  on  the  26th  of  June,  and  was  shipped 
to  various  centres  at  once.  The  Rev.  E.  F.  Frease,  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  Christian  Herald  Famine 
Relief  Fund  Committee,  and  also  member  of  the  Amer- 
ico-Indian  Relief  Committee,  was  in  Bombay  to  meet 
the  ship,  and  wrote  me  as  follows: 

“Dear  Dr.  Scott, — The  Quito  arrived  yesterday,  and  began 
clearing  cargo  to-day,  which  explains  why  I am  here.  It  may 
be  that  some  wagons  will  be  started  your  way  to-morrow,  and 
if  so,  I’ll  try  to  wire  you. 

“On  my  arrival  here  I found  there  was  to  be  a meeting  of 
the  Americo-Tndian  Relief  Fund  Executive  Committee,  for  the 
distribution  of  funds.  I had  understood  that  applications  were 
not  to  be  considered  until  after  the  circulars,  one  of  which  I am 
now  sending  you,  had  been  sent  out,  and  hence  had  no  written 
applications  in.  I,  however,  went  before  the  executive  com- 
mittee, and  explained  why  our  written  applications  were  not 
ready,  and  asked  permission  to  make  them  orally,  to  be  covered 
by  a written  application  to  be  made  out  later  in  the  day. 

“Knowing  your  great  need,  I ventured  to  ask  for  5000  rupees 
for  you,  that  being  the  largest  amount  the  executive  committee 
can  grant.  The  amount  was  granted,  and  I am  sending  in  the 
wTritten  application  for  you  as  agreed.  This  will  give  time  for 
any  additional  applications  from  you  and  your  missionaries, 
to  whom  also  I am  sending  circulars,  to  reach  Bombay  in  time 
for  the  meeting  of  the  general  committee,  the  second  Thursday 
in  July.  That  committee  will,  of  course,  take  into  account  the 
5000  rupees  now  granted  in  considering  your  applications.  I 
hope  I have  not  been  presumptuous  in  putting  in  for  you,  but 
felt  I,  in  a sense,  represented  all  our  famine  work  on  this  com- 
mittee as  well  as  the  Christian  Herald  Committee. 

“Sincerely  yours, 

“E.  F.  Frease.” 


*59 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


The  Americo-Indian  Relief  Committee,  referred  to 
above,  as  to  organization  and  object,  and  method  of 
operation,  is  explained  in  its  circular,  issued  on  June 
15,  1900,  which  says: 

“ In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1900,  when  the  Ecumen- 
ical Missionary  Conference  was  held  in  New  York,  Ind- 
ian missionaries,  wrho  were  present,  called  a special  pub- 
lic meeting  to  awaken  and  promote  interest  in  sending 
famine  relief  to  India.  As  a result  ‘ The  India  Famine 
Fund  Committee  of  One  Hundred,’  well-known  citizens 
of  New  York,  was  formed,  with  William  E.  Dodge,  Esq., 
as  chairman,  Dr.  E.  R.  L.  Gould,  secretary,  and  John 
Crosby  Brown,  Esq.,  treasurer.” 

On  June  9th  a telegram  from  Mr.  Dodge  was  received 
in  Bombay,  saying,  ‘‘Promptly  form  Americo-Indian 
Relief  Committee  of  Nine,”  and  specified  its  constitu- 
tion. Accordingly,  this  committee  was  formed,  and  the 
object  and  scope  of  its  work  stated  as  follows: 

‘‘This  Americo-Indian  Relief  Committee  desires  and 
intends  to  work  in  co-operation  with  the  committee  of 
the  Indian  Famine  Charitable  Relief  Fund  and  with 
the  Christian  Herald  Relief  Committee,  and  in  con- 
junction with  missionary  and  government  relief,  so  as 
to  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  overlapping  in  plans  and 
grants.  The  secretary  of  the  Indian  Charitable  Relief 
Committee  and  the  chairman  and  the  secretary  of  the 
Christian  Herald  Committee  being  members  of  this 
Americo-Indian  Relief  Committee,  it  is  hoped  that  all 
overlapping  may  be  avoided. 

“For  the  present  this  committee  proposes  mainly  to 
confine  itself  to  four  objects:  Relief  for  (1)  orphans,  and 
(2)  farmers;  (3)  clothing,  and  (4)  village  relief.” 

160 


GROUP  OF  ORPHANS,  AJMIR 
After  three  months 


- 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


The  grain-shops  were  opened  immediately  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  com,  and  on  July  17th  Miss  Marks  wrote 
me: 

“ The  grain-shops  are  working.  The  police  have  given 
some  trouble  to-day,  and  want  to  stop  the  traffic.  We 
think  the  bunyas  are  at  the  bottom  of  it. 

“Miss  Scott  is  in  Tilaunia  and  Miss  Try  on  in  the 
serai,  so  we  really  have  two  establishments.  Can’t  you 
make  room  for  more  boys  at  Phalera?  Isn’t  it  a good 
time  to  write  to  the  Commissioner  for  Orphans,  and  say 
that  since  we  have  been  forced  to  open  other  institutions 
we  can  take  two  hundred  girls  and  boys.  If  we  decide 
that  we  do  not  want  them  all,  we  can  find  homes  for 
them.  Many  missionaries  are  still  writing  for  children. 
If  we  don’t  get  them  the  Roman  Catholics  and  the 
Bramo-Samaj  are  bound  to.  The  Americo-Indian  Com- 
mittee gave  me  4000  rupees  for  medicines  and  clothing. 
Mr.  Frease  telegraphed  me  to  put  in  my  petition,  so  I 
did.  All  goes  smoothly.  I am  trying  to  get  more  weav- 
ers to  work.” 

In  June  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Robinson,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Methodist-Episcopal  Mission  Famine  Relief 
Committee,  kindly  wrote  me  that  he  thought  he  could 
give  me  some  help  in  July,  and  we  were  looking  forward 
to  his  coming  after  his  visit  to  Gujarat.  But  Mr.  Frease 
wrote  me  of  his  great  need  in  the  following  letter: 

“ Dear  Dr.  Scott, — J.  W.  Robinson  came  on  the  3d  inst.,  and 
it  has  been  a great  relief.  I had  expected  him  to  remain  a full 
month,  but  it  appears  he  had  made  an  arrangement  with  you 
which  if  carried  out  would  take  him  away  considerably  earlier. 
I,  therefore,  write  to  ask  you,  if  there  is  any  way  possible,  to 
release  him  from  that,  so  he  may  remain  here  as  long  as 
possible.  You  will  have  heard  of  the  death  of  T.  M.  Hudson, 
11  161 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


and  that  J.  W.  Parle  has  lost  his  eldest  child,  both  from  cholera. 
Besides  which,  the  newly  engaged  English  matron  of  the  Nadiad 
Orphanage,  in  charge  of  Park,  has  also  died  of  cholera.  I am 
now  much  disquieted  by  a note  just  received  from  Park,  saying 
he  is  down  with  something  very  like  cholera,  and  I must  be  off 
to  him  by  the  next  train. 

“The  fact  is  that  either  Park  or  Ward  is  liable  to  break  at 
any  time,  and  for  Robinson  to  leave  before  the  month  is  up 
would  be  very  hard  on  us  all.  I believe  you  can  get  other  help, 
and  have  no  doubt  you  will  release  Robinson  from  going  to 
your  place.  In  great  haste,  Yours  sincerely, 

“E.  F.  Frease.” 

Of  course,  as  much  as  we  needed  help,  he  was  re- 
leased; for,  truly,  famine  work  is  full  of  hardships  and 
dangers.  The  Gujarat  workers  suffered  severely.  The 
first  to  give  way  under  the  burden  was  T.  M.  Hudson. 
Mr.  Fox  writes: 

“There  were  signs  of  failing  health  before  the  day  of 
final  failure.  But  it  seemed  impossible  to  take  rest. 
The  evening  before  he  died  he  had  a social  gathering 
of  friends  at  his  house.  He  was  as  bright  and  cheerful 
as  any  one  among  the  company.  About  midnight  the 
sickness  came  on;  at  eight  o’clock  in  the  morning  he 
fell  asleep.  The  next  day  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Hud- 
son, Miss  Brown,  the  assistant  in  the  boys’  orphanage  at 
Nadiad,  was  taken  down  with  cholera.  In  a few  hours 
she  passed  away.  Immediately  after  this,  Willie,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Park’s  eldest  boy,  was  stricken  with  the  dread 
disease.  It  was  evident  from  the  first  attack  that  he 
could  not  live.  He  knew  he  was  dying.  He  called  the 
servants  and  told  them  he  was  dying,  and  urged  them 
to  meet  him  in  heaven.  Willie  was  only  ten  years  old. 
He  was  a bright,  happy,  spirited  boy,  the  friend  of  every- 
body. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  were  called  to  part  with  their 
little  girl,  Ada.  In  the  morning  she  rode  out  with  her 

162 


GROUP  OF  ORPHANS,  AJMIR 
After  four  months 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


father,  sitting  in  his  lap,  chatting  brightly ; late  in  the 
afternoon  she  was  taken  sick;  before  the  next  morning 
she  was  dead.  Language  cannot  express  the  sorrow  that 
came  to  these  parents’  hearts.  All  of  them,  without  a 
word  of  murmuring,  continued  their  work. 

“About  two  months  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Hudson 
Mr.  Ward  fell  sick.  He  was  sent  to  the  hospital  in 
Bombay.  After  two  months  of  medical  care  and  rest 
he  was  able  to  return  to  his  work.  It  is  worthy  of  men- 
tion that  his  wife  carried  on  the  work  very  efficiently 
during  his  sickness. 

“While  Mr.  Ward  was  still  sick  in  Bombay,  Mr. 
Frease  was  taken  sick  with  fever.  This  proved  to  be  a 
severe  form  of  typhoid  fever.  He,  too,  was  placed  in 
the  European  Hospital,  Bombay.  For  several  weeks  his 
life  hung  in  the  balance.  He  received  every  care  from 
doctors  and  nurses.  Then  there  came  a change  for  the 
better.  We  have  good  reason  now  to  hope  that  he  will 
soon  be  able  to  resume  his  work.” 

These  were,  indeed,  trying  times.  What  with  the 
awful  heat,  the  trying  journeys  into  the  villages  to 
rescue  the  starving,  the  loss  of  sleep,  the  constant  vigil- 
ance required,  the  awful,  sickening  sights,  the  menial 
service  necessary  to  be  done,  the  diseases  prevalent — 
cholera,  fever,  small-pox,  diarrhoea,  dysentery,  sore  eyes, 
sore  mouth,  guinea -worm,  paralysis,  the  association 
constantly  with  hopelessness,  despondency,  and  gloom, 
all  these  things,  with  the  drain  on  one’s  sympathy,  were 
enough  to  break  any  one  down.  In  Ajmir  Dr.  White- 
house,  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Mission,  was  struck 
down  with  cholera  in  the  prime  of  life.  Miss  Marks 
was  often  completely  exhausted,  and  in  September  was 
driven  to  the  hills.  Miss  Tryon  was  crowded  with  work 
in  the  serai,  and  at  times  was  unfit  for  duty.  Miss  Scott 

163 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


toiled  on,  almost  a shadow,  drinking  impure  water  and 
without  proper  food,  until  she  came  down  with  fever  at 
Tilaunia.  Miss  Hoge,  who  had  generously  left  her  work 
in  Gonda,  in  Oudh,  to  help  in  the  famine  work  in  Ajmir, 
was  left  almost  alone.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plomer,  with  the 
care  of  the  boys’  orphanage  and  the  distribution  of 
relief  in  the  district,  felt  the  awful  burden.  And  through 
it  all  was  the  cry  of  the  hungry  for  food  and  the  wail 
of  the  dying. 


XVII 


TILAUNIA 

“No  rain-drops  fell,  no  dew-fraught  cloud,  at  mom 
Or  closing  eve,  creeps  slowly  up  the  vale; 

The  withering  herbage  dies;  among  the  palms 
The  shrivelled  leaves  send  to  the  summer  gale 
An  autumn  rustle.” 

As  you  travel  from  Ajmir  towards  Agra,  over  the  Raj- 
putana-Malwa  railway,  after  passing  the  town  of  Kish- 
angarh  you  soon  reach  a little  patch  of  land  within  the 
territory  of  the  Kishangarh  state,  but  belonging  to  the 
British  government.  There  is  a little  railway-station, 
a goods  shed,  an  open -sided  building,  covered  with  a 
corrugated  iron  roof  for  sheltering  travellers,  a long 
stretch  of  “ siding,”  and  a village  of  perhaps  five  hundred 
souls  and  emaciated  bodies  at  the  foot  of  a rocky  mound, 
or  hill,  and  fringing  a wide  expanse  of  sandy  plain. 
That  is  Tilaunia.  It  is  one  of  the  centres  from  which 
we  gave  out  famine  relief.  How  we  came  to  select  it 
is  this:  One  day,  early  in  May,  I was  looking  up  places 
for  storing  grain,  and  was  shown  an  old,  abandoned 
cotton-press  between  the  railway-station  and  the  town 
at  Tilaunia.  There  was  a large  room,  one  hundred  feet 
long  by  forty  wide,  standing  at  the  end  of  a yard,  or 
“compound,”  perhaps  four  hundred  feet  square,  the 
whole  built  of  stone.  The  large  room  was  without  a 
roof,  but  most  of  the  rafters  were  serviceable.  Part  of 
the  old  cotton-press  was  still  standing  in  the  centre  of 

*65 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  room.  There  were  some  sheds  and  store-rooms  in 
the  corners  of  the  enclosure,  and  on  one  side,  opposite 
the  large  room,  was  a gate.  As  soon  as  I saw  the  old 
building  I felt  that,  if  available,  we  could  utilize  it  in 
our  famine  work.  We  could  put  a thatch  roof  over  the 
room,  clean  it  up,  and  use  it  for  a store-room,  while  one 
of  the  small  rooms  would  do  for  a grain-shop,  and  the 
yard  would  serve  as  a dining-room  and  for  a kitchen, 
which  might  be  opened  at  once.  The  owner  was  seen. 
He  was  willing  to  rent  it  at  a reasonable  price.  The 
bargain  was  closed,  and  I made  preparations  for  its  re- 
pair and  speedy  occupancy.  The  kitchen  was  started 
at  once,  and  was  a great  success.  In  one  comer  room 
the  food  was  cooked  in  a large  caldron,  and  dished  out 
to  rows  of  hungry  people  seated  on  the  ground. 

The  Rev.  Dennis  Clancy,  when  on  tour  in  Rajputana, 
took  a deep  interest  in  all  forms  of  relief,  and  was  espe- 
cially interested  in  the  kitchens.  He  says: 

“ I visited  one  of  these  kitchens  at  a place  called 
Tilaunia,  and  saw  over  two  hundred  fed.  For  hours 
before  the  time  to  give  out  the  food  the  people  gather 
in  a great  crowd  around  the  gate.  The  preachers  and 
workers  take  advantage  of  this  to  give  them  religious 
instruction.  It  is  really  painful  to  see  these  poor  creat- 
ures trying  to  sing.  They  seem  to  think  that  by  singing 
and  answering  questions  they  are  in  a way  doing  some- 
thing to  earn  their  food.  When  the  gates  were  finally 
opened,  the  people  rushed  madly  in.  It  was  very  diffi- 
cult to  keep  back  those  who  had  no  tickets,  and  when  the 
gate  was  closed  there  was  a howling  mob  on  the  outside 
begging  to  be  admitted.  I could  scarcely  keep  back  the 
tears  as  I looked  into  their  pitiful,  emaciated,  disappoint- 
ed faces.  When  those  who  had  tickets  were  fed,  what 
was  left  was  given  to  those  on  the  outside.  Women 

166 


THE  KITCHEN  AT  TILAUNIA 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


came  with  little  babies  in  their  arms.  One  woman  had 
a little  baby  only  six  days  old.  When  the  food  was  ready 
they  made  the  people  sit  on  the  ground  in  rows,  and 
when  they  were  all  served,  Dr.  Scott  asked  God’s  grace 
on  the  food,  and  the  people  ate  as  if  they  had  had  noth- 
ing for  weeks.  Most  of  them  bring  an  earthen  dish  of 
some  kind  to  receive  the  food.  Sometimes  people  come 
without  dishes,  and  to  receive  the  food  make  a hole  in 
the  ground  and  put  a cloth. over  it.  They  pick  up  every 
morsel  of  food  given  them.  They  get  food  but  once  a 
day,  at  most.” 

The  two  hundred  which  Mr.  Clancy  saw  soon  multi- 
plied to  a thousand,  and  our  Christian  cooks  and  waiters 
were  kept  busy  feeding  the  people.  When  the  corn 
came,  ten  wagons,  carrying  two  thousand  bags,  were 
sent  to  Tilaunia.  But  before  the  arrival  of  the  maize, 
Ajmir  became  so  overcrowded  that  it  was  necessary  to 
divert  the  restored  cotton-press  building  from  its  original 
purpose  to  that  of  a temporary  home  for  famine  waifs. 
Sheds  were  put  up  around  the  sides  of  the  wall,  the  out- 
houses were  cleaned  up,  the  large  room  was  put  in  order, 
and  several  hundred  famine  waifs,  half-starved  women, 
girls,  and  boys,  rescued  from  death,  were  sent  there  to 
be  cared  for.  Shops  were  taken  for  the  corn  in  the 
town,  tickets  were  issued  to  needy  persons  for  the  shops 
and  kitchen,  and  hungry  multitudes  were  fed  daily. 

Miss  Scott  was  sent  to  take  charge  of  all  this  work  at 
Tilaunia  early  in  July,  and  she  remained  there  until  she 
broke  down,  in  the  middle  of  August.  On  July  6th  she 
wrote  from  Ajmir: 

‘‘Mr.  Smith  writes  that  he  has  started  three  more 
kitchens,  and  wants  a man  to  help  him  gather  orphans. 
I was  wondering  if  those  boys  who  failed  in  their  exam- 

167 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


inations,  Barnabas,  Ruskin  George,  Nur  Masih,  or  some 
of  the  others,  perhaps,  could  not  help  in  some  of  the 
work  over  here,  if  they  have  not  positions  already.  They 
could  assist  in  the  grain-shops,  or  work  under  Mr.  Smith 
to  gather  in  the  children.  We  could  do  such  a lot  if  we 
had  more  workers.  We  are  going  to  work  in  good  ear- 
nest now.  Miss  Tryon  is  to  live  in  the  serai  and  have 
charge  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  girls,  and  look  after  the 
weaving  in  the  other  serai.  I am  to  go  to  Tilaunia,  look 
after  the  kitchen,  the  grain-shop,  and  the  weaving,  and 
have  headquarters  for  gathering  in  the  starving,  taking 
care  of  all  the  sick,  etc.,  and  have  the  Widows’  Home, 
if  they  are  turned  out  of  here.  A boy,  or  some  inex- 
perienced person,  could  help  in  Tilaunia,  and  leave  one 
of  the  preachers  free  to  do  some  more  important  work, 
as  collecting  children  or  starting  a kitchen  in  some  other 
place.  If  it  does  not  rain  there  will  be  need  for  several, 
I am  afraid,  before  next  season.  Wouldn’t  John  Little 
be  a good  hand  to  look  after  one  ? It  would  not  hurt 
his  work  to  go  a little  while  where  these  people  are  starv- 
ing to  death  for  want  of  some  one  to  take  food  to  them. 

“ Please  send  some  help.  We  need  matrons  and 
Bible  women  and  school-teachers,  etc. — in  fact,  almost 
any  one  will  be  useful.  Miss  Marks  wants  a good  bearer, 
a Christian  preferred.  She  says  she  could  use  Christian 
laymen  in  her  rescue  work  if  there  are  not  preachers  to 
be  spared.” 

The  summer-school  was  in  progress  at  Muttra  in  those 
days,  and  voluntary  workers  were  called  for;  nine  or 
ten  promptly  expressed  themselves  willing  to  go,  and 
they  were  sent  off  to  Ajmir  by  the  next  train.  One  old 
graybeard  among  them,  Edward  by  name,  had  been  a 
Christian  for  forty  years ; another  was  an  ex -policeman, 
a more  recent  convert  from  Mohammedanism;  there 

168 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


were  three  women  in  the  party,  the  wives  of  three  of 
the  men.  All  of  them  left  places  of  employment  to  go 
out  into  the  dreadful  famine  land,  from  which  some 
never  returned.  On  July  19th  Miss  Marks  wrote  me  as 
follows : 

“ The  workers  came  tins  morning,  and  I was  not  a lit- 
tle surprised.  However,  I’ve  sent  every  one  of  them  to 
needy  places.  They  thought  they  ought  to  have  one 
day  for  rest,  but  I told  them  I had  not  had  a rest  for 
months.  I sent  to  Tilaunia,  Baldeo  and  Mary;  to 
Phalera,  Sarah  and  Robert ; to  Miss  Tryon’s  serai,  Ed- 
ward and  Jiwanie ; under  S.  O.  Smith,  to  gather  children, 
Kalekhan  and  Nanhe ; Charlie  Silas  to  assist  here  to  send 
to  out-stations  for  children  and  to  distribute  thread  to 
weavers.  I could  use  several  others.  The  grain-shops 
are  doing  a flourishing  business.  Mr.  Robinson  writes 
that  he  will  not  come  till  the  end  of  the  month.  I am 
helping  twelve  farmers  to  sow  their  crops,  and  when  the 
crops  are  harvested  they  are  to  give  me  a chance  to  buy 
cheap,  and  they  will  return  some  of  the  money.  The 
assistant  commissioner  seemed  very  glad  of  my  offer 
to  help  them,  and  he  is  to  send  twelve  worthy  men  to 
me. 

“ Mr.  Smith  was  in  and  took  two  hundred  bags  of  grain 
yesterday.  He  pays  the  freight.  He  is  feeding  over  one 
thousand  people  at  five  centres,  and  as  he  goes  up  and 
down  the  line  he  inspects  them.  I suppose  you  have 
no  objecl-ons  if  it  reaches  the  needy  through  reliable 
sources.  Yes,  Dr.  Scott  let  Ran  Bahadur  have  grain 
for  poor  Christians.  I also  asked  them  to  send  some 
from  Phalera.  Anthony  will  see  that  the  poor  Chris- 
tians get  it.  Thread  is  so  expensive  that  this  weaving 
is  a losing  business.  It  helps  to  keep  the  people  from 
being  pauperized,  however.” 

169 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


On  the  21st  of  July  I received  this  from  Miss  Marks: 

“The  shops  here  and  at  Tilaunia  are  besieged  by  a 
regular  mob  from  mom  till  night,  who  scream  and  cry 
and  push  and  beat  one  another  to  get  to  the  shop. 
What  a sight  it  is ! No  rain,  and  no  clouds  even.  I got 
in  fourteen  boys  yesterday,  and  thirty-seven  to-day,  and 
more  are  to  come  to-night.  I hope  you  can  arrange  for 
two  hundred  boys  at  Phalera  soon.  Very  few  girls 
come.  I enclose  a letter  received  from  Mr.  Smith  this 
morning.  He  thinks  we  could  open  an  orphanage  at  Pa- 
lanpur,  the  other  side  of  Abu  Road,  and  there  is  no  mis- 
sion work  there.  It  is  a Mohammedan  state,  and  the  Na- 
wab  is  liberal,  so  I hear.  What  opportunities  these  days ! 
I am  ready  to  open  two  or  three  more  orphanages.  The 
money  could  be  gathered,  I am  sure,  and  the  workers 
found.  I am  not  quite  out  of  my  senses.  I have  hired 
a book-keeper  at  twenty  rupees  a month,  and  that  will 
enable  me  to  give  more  attention  to  the  thousand  and 
one  other  things  that  come  up.  My  building  gets  on 
slowly  for  lack  of  water.  No  water  has  come  in  Ana 
Sagar  Lake.  The  work  at  Tilaunia  became  very  heavy. 
The  kitchen  fed  many  hundreds  daily.  From  morning 
until  night  Mohan  Lai  and  Parshadi  Lai,  with  their  as- 
sistants, were  kept  busy  measuring  grain  for  the  hungry 
villagers ; the  waifs  required  much  care ; many  of  them 
were  much  emaciated  and  afflicted  with  disease.  Fam- 
ine-stricken weavers  were  given  weaving  to  do.  These 
poor  weavers,  who  were  out  of  both  materials  and 
customers,  were  helped  to  set  up  their  rude  little 
hand-looms  at  their  own  homes,  thread  was  furnished 
to  them,  and  the  cloth  purchased  from  them  when 
woven.” 

On  the  23d  I received  this  letter  from  Miss  Scott: 

170 


‘CHRISTIAN  HERALD”  CORN  READY  FOR  DISTRIBUTION 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


"Dear  Dr.  Scott, — The  grain  is  going  so  fast  we  are  be- 
ginning to  wonder  whether  it  will  not  be  best  to  keep  some  of 
it,  as  it  won’t  last  long  at  the  rate  it  is  going.  A regular  mob! 
It  takes  three  or  four  men  with  clubs  to  keep  the  people  away. 
It  is  not  sold  in  larger  quantities  than  eight  seers  to  any  one 
person,  and  yet  the  sales  to-day  alone  amounted  to  200  rupees. 
Since  a week  the  proceeds  have  been  over  1000  rupees.  It  keeps 
the  men  busy  giving  out,  and  the  poor  pastor  isn’t  very  well 
anyhow.  The  men  are  very  much  concerned  about  the  piece 
of  land  for  sale  here.  The  owner  is  anxious  to  know,  as  he 
wishes  to  dispose  of  it  some  other  way  if  we  don’t  take  it.  The 
land  is  good,  well  situated,  cheap,  and  everything  that  could 
be  desired,  if  you  want  to  buy  in  a small  place.  Three  hun- 
dred rupees  will  do.  We  hear  Dr.  Ashe  is  going  to  live  at 
Phalera. 

‘‘Your  volunteers  were  gladly  welcomed,  and  are  busy.  They 
have  gone  to  work  in  good  earnest.  Please  let  us  know  about 
the  grain  soon,  and  the  land  also. 

‘‘I  let  Pan  Bahadur,  of  Rup  Nagar,  have  two  camel-loads  of 
grain  for  the  poor  Christians  in  his  charge.  That  was  proper, 
as  I understood  it  was  to  be  sent  from  the  place  where  it  was 
stored  to  places  where  we  have  work  in  the  villages.  But 
Mohan  Lai  said  the  order  was  to  give  to  only  those  who  are 
able  to  come  for  it  themselves;  but  I was  wondering  what 
was  to  become  of  the  hundreds  who  w^ere  not  able  to  come. 

‘‘Mohan  Lai  sends  his  salaams.  I like  him  very  much. 

‘‘Yours  sincerely, 

“ Emma  Scott.” 

Miss  Marks  wrote  me  again  on  the  30th : 

“ We  have  cholera  in  Tilaunia.  I just  came  home  last 
night,  and  return  this  morning.  We  are  overcrowded, 
so  please  get  Phalera  ready  for  more  boys  at  once,  so 
that  I can  remove  them  as  soon  as  this  outbreak  is  over. 
Our  hands  are  full.  Miss  Scott  and  I are  dead  tired 
nursing  the  sick.  We  have  had  a good  many  deaths  in 
Tilaunia  lately : Thursday,  four;  Friday, four;  Saturday, 
three ; Sunday  three,  and  I don’t  know  how  many  more 
there  will  be  this  morning.  Not  much  sickness  here. 

i7i 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


Pray  for  us.  I wish  some  one  were  here  who  could  look 
after  the  grain-shops.  I can’t  do  any  more  than  I am 
doing.  I am  so  tired.” 

When  I visited  Tilaunia  I found  Miss  Scott  living  in 
a little  out-house  with  two  rooms,  about  ten  feet  square, 
and  a thatch-covered  veranda,  in  the  corner  of  the  yard 
where  were  crowded  several  hundred  half -starved  creat- 
ures, many  of  them  exceedingly  repulsive,  emaciated, 
and  diseased.  There  was  fever,  and  there  had  been 
cholera.  She  had  no  cook,  and  was  being  waited  on 
by  a little  famine  boy,  who  served  her,  as  they  all  did, 
with  a love  and  devotion  which  was  touching,  and  if 
skill  and  ability  had  been  commensurate,  there  would 
have  been  nothing  left  to  be  desired.  As  it  was,  there 
was  much.  It  was  hot,  and  the  whole  place  was  un- 
sanitary. The  sights  were  enough  to  sicken  any  one. 
But  love  for  humanity  can  rise  above  all  these  things. 
Miss  Scott  remained,  because  she  felt  it  was  her  duty 
to  live  among  and  try  and  save  these  dying  people.  But 
it  wras  more  than  even  she  could  endure. 

Miss  Marks  wrote  from  Tilaunia  on  August  ist: 

“Well,  we  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  living.  Only 
two  new  cases  down  this  morning,  and  no  deaths 
yesterday.  I have  sent  Dr.  Emma  Scott  into  Ajmir 
to  rest. 

“ The  Kishangarh  prime  - minister  wants  us  to  open 
a dispensary  in  Kishangarh.  I’ve  intended  for  a long 
time  to  open  medical  work  there  if  I can  get  a medical 
worker  somewhere.  I’ll  oversee  the  business  once  a 
■week.  I think  he  will  give  us  a grant  of  money,  medi- 
cines, and  a house,  free.  Since  the  grain  came  he  seems 
ready  to  oblige  in  anything,  and  I mean  to  strike  while 
the  iron  is  hot.  I think  I can  arrange  to  get  our  thread 

172 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


for  weaving  a little  cheaper  through  him.  Can’t  you 
get  Phalera  ready  right  away  for  a few  more  boys  ? This 
has  been  full  for  some  time,  and  cannot  possibly  accom- 
modate any  more. 

“We  have  nearly  two  hundred  more  boys  for  you, 
but  we  need  an  extra  number  to  fill  vacancies.  Many 
are  weak  and  sick,  and  have  sore  mouths,  which  are 
very  infectious,  and  the  famine  diarrhoea  is  also  catch- 
ing. Though  they  seem  to  get  well,  and  look  quite 
strong,  the  first  thing  we  know  they  are  down  again. 
The  boys  that  have  come  recently  are  very  weak,  and 
need  much  care  and  attention.  The  state  of  the  sheds 
where  they  sleep,  and  the  yard,  is  indescribable  in  the 
morning.  A lot  of  weavers  have  work,  but  it  is  hard 
to  find  any  one  who  knows  how  to  weave  blankets, 
especially  in  these  parts.” 

On  the  24th  of  August  she  wrote: 

“Dr.  Emma  Scott  has  fever,  and  I am  taking  her  to 
Ajmir  for  a change.  Miss  Hays  will  take  her  place.” 

Next  day  she  wrote: 

“Dr.  Scott  has  strong  fever  to-day,  and  has  had  for 
several  days.  I feel  worried  about  her,  as  she  has 
typhoid  symptoms.” 

On  the  3d  of  September  she  wrote  again: 

“To-day  the  doctor  has  pronounced  Miss  Scott’s  fever 
enteric.  We  have  a trained  nurse,  and  she  shall  have 
the  best  care  we  can  give  her.  He  thinks  that  by  the 
25th  of  this  month  she  may  be  able  to  go  to  the  hills. 
After  enteric  she  wall  have  to  take  a long  rest.  In  the 

173 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


present  emergency  Miss  Hays  is  a godsend.  She  does 
nicely  at  Tilaunia.” 

Long  weeks  of  anxious  watching  passed.  Then  came 
the  slow  recovery  and  the  necessary  vacation  home. 
Sickness  follows  famine.  On  November  ist,  Miss  Marks 
wrote : 

“ I am  overwhelmed.  So  many  sick  and  dying — at 
least  two  hundred  sick  people  on  my  hands,  and  no  one 
that  knows  enough  to  give  a dose  of  medicine.  There 
are  so  many  things  to  attend  to  besides  the  sick,  yet  for 
the  past  two  weeks  I have  not  been  able  to  do  much 
but  compound  and  dispense  medicines.  Could  you  get 
me  an  Agra  medical  assistant  till  these  famine  peo- 
ple get  into  a more  healthy  condition  ? I cannot  stand 
this  much  longer.  In  the  two  serais,  and  here  and  at 
Tilaunia  I have  lost  at  least  fifty  this  week,  mostly 
from  famine  malarial  fever.” 

And  so  the  work  went  on  until  the  houses  were  ready 
at  Phalera,  and  the  coming  of  the  rains  and  more  pros- 
perous times  rendered  grain  - shops  and  kitchens  un- 
necessary. When  the  cold  weather  came  on,  from  Ti- 
launia hundreds  of  blankets  and  suits  of  clothing  were 
distributed  to  the  poor  villagers.  After  the  waifs  were 
sent  away  to  Phalera  and  Ajmir,  and  the  kitchens  and 
grain-shops  were  closed,  the  old  building  was  used  for 
weavers,  who  are  still  doing  a good  work  there,  helped 
by  their  friends,  who  rescued  them  when  “the  famine 
was  sore  in  the  land.” 

More  than  a year  has  passed  since  the  last  of  the  fam- 
ine-stricken left  Tilaunia  and  the  kitchens  and  grain- 
shops  were  closed  and  the  rescue  work  ceased ; but  in 

174 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


November  of  the  present  year  a great  thanksgiving  ser- 
vice was  held  there  in  a large  tent,  attended  by  a thou- 
sand people,  eight  hundred  of  them  famine  waifs,  now 
strong  and  well  and  happy,  who  gave  expression  to 
their  grateful  feelings  in  their  own  quaint  and  hearty 
manner,  with  bursts  of  song  and  shouts  of  praise.  Look- 
ing into  the  bright,  upturned  faces,  one  could  not  help 
feeling  that  all  the  trouble  and  expense  of  saving  these 
people  have  been  repaid  a thousandfold. 


XVIII 


PHALERA 

“The  tongue  of  the  sucking  child  cleaveth  to  the  roof  of  his 
mouth  for  thirst.” — Lamentations , iv.,  4. 

When  we  commenced  to  feed  the  starving  at  the 
kitchens,  convenient  centres  were  selected  to  which  the 
poor  people  could  gather  and  where  there  could  be 
rigid  supervision  and  inspection.  At  first  we  cooked  a 
limited  amount  of  food  in  front  of  the  native  pastor’s 
house,  just  at  the  end  of  the  small  village  of  Phalera, 
but  the  number  of  applicants  so  rapidly  increased,  and 
as  it  was  annoying  to  the  people  of  the  town  to  have  so 
many  famine  - stricken  coming  together  daily  at  that 
place,  we  realized  that  a removal  was  inevitable,  and 
yet  it  became  a very  grave  question  what  to  do  in  the 
emergency.  No  one  seemed  able  or  willing  to  help  us. 
It  so  happened  that  next  door  to  the  pastor’s  house 
lived  his  landlord,  a Parsee,  by  the  name  of  Prestonji, 
who  had  leased  some  land  from  a Hindu  for  cultivation. 
Hearing  our  story,  he  very  generously  came  to  me  and 
said  I could  have  land  from  him  upon  which  we  could 
erect  temporary  sheds  for  storage  of  grain  and  a place 
for  a kitchen.  The  place  proved  to  be  just  the  locality 
desired,  within  a convenient  distance  of  the  mission- 
house  and  railway-station,  and  yet  far  enough  away  to 
obviate  any  inconvenience  to  the  residents  of  the  town. 

There  we  erected  mud-walled  houses,  and  covered 
them  with  a thatch  roof,  and  soon  had  our  kitchen  in 

176 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


working  order.  When  the  kitchen  was  first  started 
there  was  also  opened  a training-school,  into  which  poor 
men  and  women  who  were  capable  of  being  taught  an 
elementary  knowledge  of  books  were  gathered.  The 
members  of  this  school,  as  well  as  their  teachers,  gave 
gratuitous  help  in  carrying  on  the  kitchen,  which  grew 
into  large  proportions.  From  two  hundred  the  numbers 
ran  up  to  four  hundred,  and  then  to  six  and  eight  hun- 
dred, until  finally  one  thousand,  and  twelve  hundred 
were  fed  daily.  These  poor  people  came  about  eight 
o’clock  in  the  morning,  and  sat  in  long,  double  rows, 
waiting  patiently  for  an  hour  or  two  until  the  food  was 
ready  to  be  served.  The  majority  of  those  admitted 
were  women  and  children,  each  of  whom  was  provided 
with  a ticket,  on  which  were  number,  name,  and  village, 
and  the  dates  of  the  month,  from  which  each  date,  as 
it  fell  due,  wras  deleted  when  presented  by  the  applicant 
to  a qualified  inspector.  Each  adult  was  given  a pound 
and  a half  of  cooked  wheat,  or  corn-meal  mush,  and 
children  were  fed  in  proportion  to  age  and  requirements. 
It  was  often  necessary  to  give  the  children  specially 
prepared  food.  Many  of  the  people  were  very  much 
emaciated  when  they  first  came  to  us.  Some  were  so 
weak  that  they  remained  near  the  place  all  the  time, 
being  unable  to  walk  to  their  village  and  back  again 
daily.  Some  died  with  food  in  their  hands.  In  cooking 
for  so  many,  it  often  happened  that  the  untrained  cooks 
and  waiters  did  not  thoroughly  cook  and  properly  serve 
the  food,  and  many  of  the  people,  especially  the  children, 
were  unable  to  digest  the  mess  that  was  served  out  to 
them. 

I shall  never  forget  a sight  I witnessed  one  day  when 
the  people  were  being  fed.  A poor  village  woman  had 
managed  to  crawl  to  the  kitchen  with  her  starving  little 
child.  She  was  too  weak  to  get  into  the  line,  and  lay 

177 


12 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


on  the  ground  a few  paces  off.  When  the  food  was 
served,  one  of  the  bearers  carried  her  some  of  the  mush 
and  placed  it  on  one  corner  of  her  scanty  clothing.  She 
was  just  able  to  carry  a morsel  to  her  mouth,  when  she 
died  with  some  of  the  food  still  in  her  mouth,  and  the 
little,  emaciated  baby  lying  beside  her.  She  was  soon 
carried  away  and  buried  in  the  sand  of  an  adjoining 
field,  and  the  child  was  taken  to  the  mission-house  and 
cared  for,  but  the  poor  little  thing  had  been  too  long 
without  food,  and  soon  went  to  join  its  mother. 

The  suffering  of  the  little  children  was  terrible.  It 
was  a very  common  thing  to  see  children  five  and  six 
years  of  age  wandering  about  in  the  fields  or  on  the 
road  or  at  the  railway-stations,  pitifully  crying  for  food, 
or  lying  under  trees,  asleep,  with  no  one  to  care  for  them. 
Their  parents  had  gone  in  search  of  food,  or  more  prob- 
ably had  died  of  starvation  or  disease  induced  by  famine. 
I remember  one  midnight  at  Phalera,  as  I was  on  my 
way  to  the  station,  I heard  a child  crying  most  pitifully 
in  the  dark.  It  was  so  dark  that  I could  see  no  one, 
but  the  voice  was  so  full  of  distress  that  at  the  risk  of 
missing  my  train  I searched  for  the  child  under  the 
trees.  Under  a large  shisani  tree  I found  an  emaciated 
little  girl,  all  alone.  I said  to  her: 

“What  is  the  matter,  little  one?” 

“ My  eyes  hurt.” 

“Where  is  your  mother,  child?” 

“ I don’t  know.” 

“ Have  you  no  one  to  help  you?” 

“No  one.” 

“How  long  have  you  been  here?” 

“A  week.” 

“Why  have  you  come  here?” 

“I  am  hungry.” 

I told  her  she  should  have  food,  but  as  I went  on  down 

*78 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


the  road  I could  hear  the  poor  little  thing  crying  with 
pain  and  hunger,  alone  under  the  shisam  tree. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  on  Saturday,  the  7th 
of  April,  I unexpectedly  met  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Ashe, 
M.D.,  at  Marwar  Junction,  and  that  we  visited  the  Jodh- 
pur state  famine  relief  camp  at  that  place,  and  spent 
part  of  the  day  at  Biawar.  He  returned  to  his  work  at 
Aligarh,  and  my  mind  was  occupied  with  the  great  prob- 
lem of  the  hour — how  best  to  distribute  the  funds  com- 
mitted to  our  care.  While  thinking  over  this  I received 
the  following  letter,  dated  at  Aligarh  on  the  4th  of  May : 

“Dear  Dr.  Scott, — Since  my  trip  through  the  famine  dis- 
trict in  Rajputana,  the  dreadful  misery  and  suffering  I saw 
have  not  ceased  to  haunt  me  by  day  and  by  night.  I went  to 
see  famine  and  I saw  it.  After  leaving  you  I saw  most  heart- 
rending sights.  The  suffering  in  the  native  states  is  most 
acute,  and  in  some  places  very  little  is  being  done  for  the 
people.  I inquired  about  the  distress  from  several  native 
officers,  but  they  all  denied  that  the  people  were  dying  of 
starvation.  . . . 

“At  Marwar,  where  I met  you,  I walked  a hundred  paces 
away  from  the  station  and  picked  up  a human  skull  with  some 
of  the  sinews  still  intact,  as  I showed  you.  I saw  one  poor 
woman  lying  within  ten  feet  of  the  railway,  unable  to  rise,  and 
there  was  no  one  near  to  help  her.  At  Jaipur,  where  the  train 
stopped,  a crowd  of  emaciated  little  children  thronged  the 
platform  begging,  many  of  them  too  weak  to  stand  long  at  a 
time.  A man  came  along  and  kicked  them  out  of  the  way  as 
if  they  were  a pack  of  dogs.  At  one  place,  among  the  crowd  was 
a wee  bit  of  a girl  hardly  able  to  stand.  I gave  her  an  extra  pice, 
and  as  the  train  moved  off  the  elder  ones  rushed  upon  her  like 
so  many  hounds  and  snatched  the  pice  away  from  her.  I wept. 
Who  would  not?  Survival  of  the  fittest!  If  I possessed  a 
lakh  of  rupees  I would  ask  for  no  greater  pleasure  than  to 
distribute  it  to  those  poor  famishing  people. 

“I  trust  the  committee  will  see  fit  to  give  you  a large  sum  for 
Rajputana,  for  I am  sure  there  is  not  a more  needy  place  to  be 
found.  Y ours  sincerely, 

“W.  W.  Ashe.” 


179 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


As  the  work  at  Phalera  became  more  heavy,  the 
kitchen,  training  - school,  and  weaving,  with  outside 
work  in  the  villages  requiring  much  thought  and  daily 
supervision,  I was  anxious  to  secure  some  one  to  take 
charge  of  the  work.  My  thought  turned  to  Dr.  Ashe. 
I wrote  to  him,  and  the  result  was  that  he  gladly  gave 
up  his  month’s  leave,  to  which  he  was  entitled,  to  do 
famine  work  at  Phalera.  Subsequently  he  was  relieved 
from  his  connection  with  the  dairy-farm  at  Aligarh,  and 
he  and  Mrs.  Ashe  joined  us,  as  permanent  workers,  on  the 
5th  of  September.  In  the  mean  time  Dr.  Ashe  had  given 
most  valuable  assistance.  In  addition  to  the  kitchen 
and  other  work  an  orphanage  for  boys  was  started,  and 
more  than  two  hundred  were  gathered  in,  requiring  to 
be  fed  and  clothed  and  constantly  attended,  many  of 
them  being  in  a sad  plight.  It  was  a great  comfort  to 
have  a doctor  in  charge  of  the  orphanage.  On  the  6th 
of  August  Dr.  Ashe  wrote: 

“We  fed  400  this  morning  at  the  kitchen,  and  some 
were  turned  away.  No  rain  yet.  Wheeler’s  dog  brought 
a scapula  of  some  poor  victim,  and  laid  it  at  my  door 
last  night.” 

On  the  9th,  again: 

“ Yesterday  we  fed  620,  besides  the  boys.  To-day  715 
got  a morsel.  There  were  a thousand  people  present. 
It  is  impossible  to  feed  them  all.  Four  wagons  of  the 
corn  have  come,  and  the  rest  will  reach  us  to-day.  Ten 
or  twelve  carts  are  busy  bringing  it  up.  No  rain  yet. 
It  is  dreadfully  hot  to-day.  Will  go  to  Merta  Road  after 
I get  things  started  here.” 

Merta  Road  is  the  junction  where  the  line  branches 

180 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


off  to  Bikanir,  and  is  within  the  limits  of  the  Bhartpur 
state.  The  town  of  Merta  lies  some  distance  away 
from  the  station.  As  it  was  a needy  field,  we  decided  to 
open  a grain-shop  there. 

On  the  13th,  after  his  visit  to  Merta  Road,  he  wrote 
me  as  follows: 

“ I have  just  returned  from  Merta  Road,  where  I 
rented  two  store-rooms  and  a room  for  a man  to  live  in. 
I took  Masih  Dass  with  me  from  Makrana  to  let  him 
see  the  place.  He  does  not  seem  happy  to  go  there. 
The  com  must  be  sent  at  once,  to  save  damage.  De- 
pending on  what  you  said  about  him,  I wTill  send  him 
to  see  to  -unloading  it.  Please  let  me  know  what  ar- 
rangements are  to  be  made  about  money.  I have  got 
in  over  two  hundred  blankets,  better  than  the  Bikanir 
ones.  Am  having  them  made  in  the  villages.  They 
will  be  somewhat  cheaper  than  the  sample  you  brought. 
We  are  too  short-handed  to  manage  a thousand  people. 
If  we  had  an  enclosure  it  would  be  much  easier  to  man- 
age them.” 

On  the  23d  he  wrote: 

“ I returned  from  Merta  Road,  where  I went  to  get 
the  grain- shop  in  operation.  Daud  is  now  settled  there. 
The  situation  is  very  critical  up  that  way.  The  little 
rain  that  fell  has  caused  a lot  of  sickness.  The  people 
drink  from  the  filthy  puddles,  take  the  cholera,  and  die- 
At  this  place  the  distress  is  growing  worse  daily.” 

| During  the  most  of  August  I remained  at  Phalera, 
‘allowing  Dr.  Ashe  to  return  to  Aligarh.  The  manu- 
facture of  blankets  and  warm  clothing  for  the  famine- 
stricken,  who  would  otherwise  for  want  of  them  perish 

181 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


during  the  rains  and  in  the  cold  season,  occupied  our 
attention.  A generous  donation  from  the  Christian 
Herald  fund  of  7656  rupees  enabled  me  to  push  the  man- 
ufacture of  woollen  blankets  with  vigor.  I found  I could 
make  a serviceable  blanket  for  a rupee.  I stated  this 
fact  to  Mr.  Frease,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Chris- 
tian Herald  fund,  and  from  him  received  the  following 
reply : 

“ Dear  Dr.  Scott, — In  yours  of  the  6th  inst.  you  say 
you  are  making  four  thousand  blankets  for  the  cold 
weather.  You  have  by  this  time  received  the  list  show- 
ing the  distribution  for  one  hundred  thousand  blankets, 
being  provided  by  the  Christian  Herald  fund.  These 
blankets  we  are  having  made  by  famine  labor  wherever 
possible,  under  the  direction  of  the  missionaries,  and  most 
of  them  are  being  made  of  heavy  cotton,  and  at  a cost  not 
to  exceed  one  rupee  each.  I think  that  the  committee 
will  be  very  glad  to  purchase  from  you  the  four  thousand 
you  say  you  are  already  making,  and  as  many  more  as 
you  can  make,  up  to,  say,  7656,  the  number  which  will 
come  to  you  according  to  the  distribution  mentioned 
above,  if  you  can  make  them  at  the  price  given.  This 
would  enable  you  to  produce  the  entire  number  of 
blankets  assigned  to  you  by  famine  labor,  and  would 
avoid  transportation  charges,  and  give  you  an  article 
usually  used  by  your  people.  If  you  can  undertake  to 
make  the  above  number,  please  let  me  know  immediately 
by  wire,  if  you  wish,  and  I will  send  you  my  official 
check  for  7656  rupees,  covering  the  number  and  com- 
pleting your  grant  from  the  committee  for  blankets.” 

When  the  Christian  Herald  com  arrived,  two  thou- 
sand bags,  containing  two  bushels  each,  were  stored  in 
the  mission-house,  and  a shop  was  opened  in  the  town, 

182 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


while  distribution  was  made  in  the  surrounding  villages. 
Two  hundred  bags  were  sent  to  the  shop  at  Merta  Road 
and  a like  number  on  to  Bikanir.  At  all  our  shops  we 
sold  the  com  in  small  quantities,  at  a fixed  rate  of  four- 
teen seers,  or  twenty-eight  pounds,  to  the  rupee,  to  all 
who  were  needy  but  able  to  purchase,  and  gave  to  those 
who  had  no  means  of  paying.  To  guard  against  impo- 
sition, grain  was  only  given  to  those  who  had  been  sup- 
plied with  our  numbered  tin  tags  and  corresponding 
dated  tickets.  In  spite  of  the  most  scrupulous  care, 
however,  some  would  appear  several  times  on  the  same 
day  and  draw  the  allowance,  until  detected  and  ex- 
cluded. 

What  with  blankets  and  com  stored  in  the  mission- 
house,  there  was  but  one  room  left  in  which  to  live, 
and  even  that  was  shared  with  countless  flies,  mos- 
quitoes, moths,  lizards,  snakes,  and  dogs. 

When  Dr.  Ashe  returned  he  had  his  hands  full.  What 
with  orphanage,  industrial  work,  kitchens,  grain-shops, 
and  training-school,  there  was  enough  to  keep  him  busy. 
A kitchen  had  been  kept  up  at  Naraina,  a village  a few 
miles  away.  The  grain-shop  at  Merta  Road  was  doing 
a good  work.  The  blankets  were  coming  in  almost 
daily.  About  two  thousand  were  made  at  Bikanir.  The 
kitchens  were  kept  open  till  the  first  week  in  October, 
by  which  time  there  was  no  further  need.  Dr.  Ashe 
succeeded  in  sub -renting  some  land,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  erect  suitable  buildings  thereon  for  orphan- 
ages for  both  boys  and  girls. 

This,  in  addition  to  the  other  work  mentioned  above, 
fully  occupied  the  time  and  attention  of  Dr.  Ashe,  for 
the  buildings  have  been  erected  under  peculiar  difficul- 
ties. Workmen  proved  inefficient  and  slow.  The  walls 
of  the  boys’  orphanage  were  no  sooner  up  than  part  of 
them  fell  down  again.  The  corrugated  iron  roof  was  no 

183 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


sooner  on  than  a storm  blew  it  off.  But  the  work  has 
gone  on.  Thousands  have  been  saved  from  starvation, 
and  hundreds  of  children,  rescued,  fed,  and  clothed,  are 
being  trained.  On  February  7th,  just  before  leaving 
for  home,  broken  down  under  the  long,  hard  work  done 
during  the  famine,  Miss  Marks  reported  as  follows: 

“The  Phalera  girls’  orphanage  will  be  ready  for  oc- 
cupancy by  the  end  of  this  month.  I still  do  some  res- 
cue work.  We  have  taken  in  forty-seven  the  past  month 
— fifteen  girls,  four  women,  and  twenty -eight  boys.  They 
are  very  emaciated  and  weak.  Over  ninety-nine  thou- 
sand rupees,  or  $33,000,  have  passed  through  my  hands 
for  relief  work  during  the  year.  I have  had  to  render 
an  account  to  two  famine  committees,  and  have  all 
accounts  audited.  It  has  been  an  awful  strain  to  feel 
that  I was  responsible  for  the  proper  disposal  of  every 
cent.  Money  came  from  Canada,  France,  England,  Scot- 
land, Japan,  India,  South  Africa,  and  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments. So,  often  this  year,  when  I have  seen  that  we 
needed  certain  things  very  much,  and  wondered  where 
they  would  come  from,  some  one  would  write,  saying 
they  were  sending  these  very  things.  It  has  seemed  so 
wonderful.” 


XIX 


FORMS  OF  RELIEF 
“I  will  call  for  the  com.” — Ezekiel,  xxxvi.,  29. 

The  various  forms  of  relief  put  in  operation  during 
the  famine  were  so  numerous  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  give  a detailed  account  of  each.  The  committee  al- 
lowed large  liberty  in  these  matters,  provided  that  (1) 
the  people  needing  relief  were  reached,  and  (2)  the  work 
was  done  under  strict  supervision,  so  that  there  would 
be  neither  waste  nor  theft.  It  was  impossible  for  the 
imperial  relief  to  reach  all  who  needed  it,  and  often  the 
relief  camps  were  so  distant  from  the  famine-stricken, 
and  the  conditions  upon  which  help  was  given  were  such, 
that  they  were  not  succored.  The  people  of  India,  owing 
partly  to  many  centuries  of  oppression  and  poverty, 
and  partly  to  their  religious  belief  in  a fixed  destiny, 
are  a long-suffering  and  patient  people,  enduring  quietly 
the  greatest  wrongs  without  a murmur,  and  pining  away 
with  hunger  and  making  no  sign.  Sometimes  native 
subordinates  were  not  sympathetic,  and  carried  on  the 
work  in  an  official  and  perfunctory  way,  not  calculated 
to  inspire  in  the  poor  people  a belief  in  “ the  brotherhood 
of  man . ’ ’ Sometimes  “the  minimum  wage  ’ ’ meant  star- 
vation and  death.  Anyhow,  there  was  a large  margin 
left  to  be  met  by  private  charity,  and  our  workers  were 
ever  finding  out  needy  ones  quietly  suffering  in  out- 
of-the-way  places.  We  had  men  and  women  posted  at 
convenient  centres  in  Rajputana,  whose  duty  it  was  to 

i85 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


find  out  all  cases  of  need  and  report  them,  and  a special 
fund  was  set  apart  for  this  work.  In  this  way  many 
were  saved  from  starvation.  People  were  directed  to 
the  nearest  relief  works,  or  given  tickets  which  would 
admit  them  to  our  grain-shops  or  kitchens,  where  they 
could  get  help.  But  the  most  of  our  relief  fell  under 
five  heads — viz.,  grain-shops,  kitchens,  rescue  work,  or- 
phanages, and  industrial  work.  A word  may  be  said 
about  each  of  these,  as  operated  in  Rajputana  and  else- 
where. 

i . Grain-shops.  In  Rajputana  there  were  grain-shops 
at  Pisangun,  Bir,  Ajmir,  Tilaunia,  Phalera,  Merta  Road, 
and  Bikanir.  These  were  really  distributing  centres, 
from  which  grain  was  sent  by  rail,  on  carts  and  camels 
and  by  coolies,  into  the  interior.  More  than  twenty 
thousand  bushels  of  grain  were  thus  distributed.  Our 
rule  was  to  sell  to  all  who  could  buy  at  a fixed  rate  of 
twenty-eight  pounds  to  the  rupee,  never  giving  more 
than  the  maximum  amount  of  a rupee’s  worth  to  any 
one  person,  and  requiring  those  near  at  hand  to  appear 
daily  for  their  dole.  For  the  very  poor  we  furnished 
the  meal,  already  prepared  for  cooking,  free,  and  some- 
times a little  fuel  also.  The  opening  of  these  shops  had 
a twofold  beneficial  effect.  In  the  first  place,  it  fed 
the  hungry  people;  and  in  the  second  place,  by  under- 
selling the  corn-dealers,  we  brought  down  the  price  of 
grain  in  some  places.  In  the  account  of  our  work  at 
Ajmir  and  Tilaunia  we  have  seen  how  clamorous  the 
poor  people  were  to  buy  the  maize,  and  that  the  men 
were  under  the  necessity  of  standing  with  sticks  to  keep 
the  villagers  from  mobbing  the  shops.  When  the  sales 
accumulated  the  money  was  used  to  buy  other  grain, 
and  so  the  shops  were  kept  open  as  long  as  there  was 
need. 

In  Gujarat  Mr.  Frease  and  his  associates  opened  grain 

186 


WAITING  TO  PURCHASE  CHEAP  GRAIN 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


depots,  which  were  very  useful.  The  editor  of  the  I ndian 
Witness,  who  visited  Gujarat  in  May,  wrote  as  follows : 

“ Mr.  Frease  and  his  missionary  associates  deserve  the 
highest  praise  for  the  effective  plans  set  in  operation  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  trying  situation.  First,  they  re- 
solved to  establish  food-grain  depots  at  several  stations, 
where  the  people  could  obtain  grain  at  actual  cost,  or,  if 
necessary,  as  it  was  found  to  be,  at  a small  loss.  Capital 
to  allow  of  the  purchase  of  grain  on  favorable  terms 
was  appealed  for  and  received,  although  not  to  the  ex- 
tent that  could  be  desired.  For  a considerable  time 
grain  was  sold  at  the  mission  depot  to  all  comers,  in 
small  quantities,  of  course,  to  each  purchaser,  but  after 
a time  it  proved  that  the  funds  available  would  not  ad- 
mit of  this.  So  it  was  found  necessary  to  restrict  the 
sale  of  grain  to  Christians,  who,  as  the  famine  period 
advanced,  began  to  show  proofs  of  the  fact  that  they 
were  trying  to  exist  on  insufficient  food.  About  four 
hundred  tons  of  maize,  or  forty  railway  wagon-loads, 
have  been  sold  at  these  mission  depots.  Many  thou- 
sands of  villagers  have  been  relieved  in  their  own  vil- 
lages, besides  those  on  relief  works.  Large  numbers 
have  travelled  twenty  miles  for  a week’s  supply,  be- 
cause, as  they  explained,  ‘the  difference  between  the 
rate  at  which  the  corn  was  sold  by  the  missionaries  and 
the  local  bazaar  rate  was  just  the  difference  between 
starvation  and  life.’  ” 

2.  Kitchens.  Kitchens  were  opened  before  grain- 
shops  were  started,  but  after  the  maize  came  the  shops 
were  a great  aid  to  the  kitchens,  as  the  corn-meal  was 
used  in  making  the  mush  which  was  fed  to  the  patrons 
of  the  kitchens.  There  were  many  of  these  kitchens  at 
centres  right  across  Rajputana  from  Raho  to  Bikanir. 

187 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


The  largest  ones  were  at  Tilaunia,  Naraina,  and  Phalera. 
Here  many  hundreds  were  fed  daily.  Our  rule  was  to 
give  a pound  and  a half  to  an  adult  male,  a pound  to  a 
woman,  and  lesser  amounts  to  children  in  proportion 
to  their  age.  Any  one  eligible  to  draw  must  have  a 
properly  filled -in  and  signed  kitchen- ticket,  a specimen 
of  which  is  herewith  given: 


I 

2 3 4 s 6 7 8 9 10  11  12  13 

14 

No 

15 

Name 

16 

Village 

17 

Amount 

18 

31 

30  29  28  27  26  25  24  23  22  21  20 

19 

Our  kitchens  were  run  upon  a somewhat  different  plan 
from  that  of  the  government.  As  a rule,  the  govern- 
ment kitchens  were  opened  in  connection  with  relief 
works  for  children  and  other  dependants  who  were  unfit 
to  go  on  the  works.  The  famine  committee  of  1898 
recommended  kitchens  especially  for  children.  They 
say: 

“ But  as  a general  rule  we  are  in  favor  of  the  kitchen 
system  in  the  case  of  children.  In  the  case  of  adults 
the  existence  of  caste  or  other  prejudice  may  undoubtedly 
prevent  many  persons  requiring  relief  from  accepting 
it  in  the  shape  of  cooked  food,  but  with  young  children 
we  think  this  is  true  only  of  a few  tracts  or  particular 
castes.  The  experience  of  the  recent  famine,  and  the 
evidence  we  have  taken  on  the  subject,  confirm  us  in  the 

188 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


belief  that  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  parents  will  not 
object  to  sending  their  young  children  to  kitchens,  al- 
though it  might  be  they  would  not  be  willing  to  accept 
such  relief  themselves.  In  scarcities,  or  at  the  beginning 
of  famine,  the  cash  or  grain-allowance  system  may  be 
found  convenient  and  unobjectionable  for  children  as 
well  as  adults;  but  if  it  is  considered  necessary  to  en- 
force a test,  owing  to  the  excessive  numbers  of  persons 
attracted,  claiming  to  be  dependants,  or  if  it  is  found 
that  sufficient  relief  is  not  afforded  to  children,  then  the 
kitchen  system  should  be  substituted.  In  severe  famine, 
we  think,  it  will  always  be  necessary  to  introduce  the 
kitchen  system  for  children;  but  in  order  to  guard 
against  the  possibility  of  deserving  persons,  who  from 
caste  or  other  prejudice  cannot  accept  cooked  food, 
being  excluded  from  all  relief,  although  they  really 
require  it,  we  think  that  when  the  kitchen  system  is 
introduced  discretion  should  be  allowed  to  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  work  to  exempt  from  the  obligation  of 
accepting  cooked  food  persons  who  from  caste  feeling 
or  prejudice  or  local  status  cannot  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected to  submit  to  such  a form  of  relief,  and  to  give 
such  persons  either  a money  dole  or  an  uncooked  ration, 
preferably  the  latter.”  1 

But  not  having  extensive  relief  works  nor  a large  staff 
of  workers,  it  was  found  that  we  could  reach  the  cause 
of  all  the  suffering  and  relieve  it  more  directly  by  giving 
cooked  food  to  the  very  poor.  If  we  gave  them  money  it 
would  perhaps  be  stolen  or  some  of  them  would  spend 
it  for  opium.  If  we  gave  everybody  a grain  dole,  some 
would  have  no  fuel  with  which  to  cook  it.  We  never 

1 The  late  Famine  Commission  (1901)  are  of  the  opinion  that 
“gratuitous  relief  is  in  every  way  more  effective  and  successfully 
administered  by  doles  than  by  cooked  food.” 

189 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


had  much  trouble  on  the  ground  of  caste.  Many  high- 
caste  adults  joined  our  kitchens  and  ate  as  heartily  as 
the  Sweepers ; but,  of  course,  we  discriminated  in  favor 
of  women  and  children,  and  always  noticed  if  they  were 
needy  or  not. 

3.  Rescue  Work.  This  was  carried  on  from  beginning 
to  end.  When  the  famine  commenced  I instructed  the 
whole  staff,  from  Bikanir  to  Sujat  Road,  to  be  on  the 
lookout  for  starving  orphans  or  abandoned  children  who 
could  be  rescued  from  death,  and  often  worse  than  death. 
A volume  could  be  written  concerning  the  rescue  work 
alone.  In  this  Miss  Marks  and  Mr.  Smith  took  a deep 
interest.  Nearly  three  thousand  waifs  were  thus  gath- 
ered in.  Daropti  Das,  the  wife  of  a Christian  worker  at 
Makrana,  was  the  means  of  rescuing  hundreds.  This 
good  woman  lived  on  one  meal  a day  during  the  famine, 
that  she  might  have  something  to  give  to  her  starving 
neighbors.  During  the  hot  weather  these  rescue  trips 
to  the  villages  were  made  writh  great  personal  discom- 
fort, and  often  with  danger.  The  heat  was  awful  in 
May  and  June,  and  yet  at  that  time  the  need  was  the 
greatest.  At  one  place  our  man  was  imprisoned  under 
a false  charge  of  kidnapping,1  at  another  the  man  in 
charge  of  rescued  waifs  was  beaten.  Often  the  children 
were  too  weak  to  reach  the  place  of  refuge.  Children 
died  in  the  trains  and  at  the  railway- stations  when  being 
removed  to  rescue  camps.  Nor  did  an  emaciated  body 
always  reform  the  disposition.  The  Bhils  are  notorious 
thieves.  Miss  Marks  was  bringing  some  starving  Bhil 
children  home,  and  having  to  sleep  on  the  platform  of 
a small  railway-station,  she  gathered  the  children  about 

1 The  late  Famine  Commission  have  expressed  themselves  as 
strongly  opposed  to  missionaries  and  others  removing  deserted 
children  from  the  famine  districts,  and  advise  that  “ deserted  children 
should  not  be  made  over”  to  them  except  as  a last  resort. 

190 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


her,  and  placed  her  bag  of  money  under  her  pillow, 
and  went  to  sleep.  When  she  awoke  at  four  o’clock 
in  the  morning  to  take  the  train,  neither  boys  nor 
bag  were  to  be  found.  They  had  stolen  it  and  de- 
parted. 

4.  Orphanages.  Out  of  the  famine  grew  four  orphan- 
ages, two  for  boys  and  two  for  girls,  in  Rajputana. 
Nearly  eight  hundred  children  were  gathered  into  these. 
Many  of  them  either  ran  away  or  died,  and  others  took 
their  places.  Besides  these  a widows’  home  was  opened. 
For  these  orphans  and  widows  buildings  had  to  be 
erected,  which  required  time  and  money.  At  Ajmir 
and  at  Phalera,  where  our  orphanages  and  Widows’  Home 
have  been  established,  the  dormitories  and  other  build- 
ings are  completed,  and  the  children  and  widows  are 
being  trained.  Nor  are  we  alone  in  rescue  work  and  in 
founding  orphanages  and  widows’  homes.  The  Rev.  J. 
Anderson  Brown,  secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission 
in  Rajputana,  reported  from  Biawar  that  at  the  end  of 
April  they  had  received  1226  children,  and  had  ninety- 
six  widows  under  their  care,  and  the  numbers  would 
have  been  considerably  larger  but  for  an  outbreak  of 
cholera.  He  says : 

“ Many  of  the  little  ones  who  came  to  us  were  in  a very 
emaciated  and  weakly  condition,  and  notwithstanding 
all  our  care  we  have  lost  upward  of  six  hundred,  of 
whom  about  a fourth  died  of  cholera.  On  the  31st  of 
May  there  were  1507  orphans  at  Biawar,  and  in  all  2400 
had  been  rescued  from  starvation,  but  898  had  died 
from  exhaustion  or  cholera.” 

Of  course,  in  other  places,  as  in  Gujarat  and  Central 
India,  thousands  were  thus  rescued  and  brought  into 
orphanages.  Mrs.  Lawson  writes  from  Aligarh: 

191 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


“The  recent  famine  has  left  us  a heritage  of  over 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  orphans  and  widows.  These, 
in  addition  to  our  four  hundred. orphans  of  the  previous 
famine,  make  a community  of  about  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty.  Of  these,  three  hundred  are  girls, 
four  hundreds  and  fifty  boys,  and  three  hundred  and 
fifty  or  more  widows,  with  their  fifty  babies.” 

5.  Industrial  Work.  We  aimed  from  the  beginning 
to  give  work  to  all  for  whom  work  was  available.  A 
number  of  poor  people  were  employed  at  Ajmir  in  con- 
nection with  our  building  operations  and  in  grading  the 
“compound.”  At  Phalera  I started  shoemaking,  sup- 
plying the  shoemakers  with  materials,  and  they  turned 
out  some  very  good  native  shoes.  Some  carpenters,  also, 
were  given  work.  Those  learning  in  the  training-schools 
had  to  earn  their  support  by  steady  work  in  the  schools 
and  by  giving  gratuitous  help  in  the  grain -shops  and  at 
the  kitchens;  but  the  most  extensive  help  given  was 
to  weavers,  who  were  supplied  with  thread  and  were 
thus  enabled  to  turn  out  very  good  cotton  and  woollen 
cloth  on  their  own  inexpensive  and  exceedingly  clumsy 
looms.  We  expended  more  than  ten  thousand  rupees 
in  thus  helping  weavers,  from  whom  we  purchased  the 
cloth  to  give  to  the  needy  people  in  the  villages.  At 
Sambhar  and  at  Bikanir,  especially,  this  form  of  relief 
proved  very  successful. 

In  Gujarat  Mr.  E.  F.  Frease  says,  concerning  his  weav- 
ing: 


“ From  the  beginning  of  October  to  the  end  of  January 
we  kept  three  hundred  and  fifty  looms  in  comparatively 
constant  motion,  thus  supporting  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  people.  Since  then  we  have  been  able 
to  work  some  six  hundred  looms,  supporting  three  thou- 
sand of  our  people.  With  sufficient  capital  we  could 

192 


FRUIT  BEARING BISHOP  WARNE  BAPTIZING  ORPHANS  AT  BARODA 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


with  our  present  staff  more  than  double  our  weaving 
operations,  and,  as  we  are  anxious  to  do,  employ  the 
non -Christian  neighbors  of  the  Christian  weavers  now 
employed. 

“The  cheap  grain  sales  and  the  weaving  operate  side 
by  side,  and  most  of  the  pay  for  weaving  is  given  in 
grain,  though  cash  is  given  when  asked.” 

When  the  grain- shops  and  kitchens  were  closed  at 
Tilaunia,  and  the  waifs  were  removed  from  there,  the 
old  building  was  retained  and  continued  as  a Christian 
weavers’  establishment,  from  which  some  very  good 
cloth  is  being  turned  out. 

The  Rev.  R.  A.  Hume,  of  Ahmedabad,  has  taken  a 
great  interest  in  all  kinds  of  industrial  work,  and  has 
given  employment  to  many  during  the  famine,  and  to 
orphans  and  other  waifs  since. 

Miss  Marks  took  a great  interest  in,  and  Dr.  Ashe  has 
given  much  time  and  attention  to,  industrial  work,  and 
the  latter  is  endeavoring  to  teach  the  orphan  children 
at  Phalera  thus  to  support  themselves.  He  has  pur- 
chased two  power -looms  and  hopes  to  develop  this  in- 
dustry. He  has  in  view  the  cultivation  of  land  also, 
and  thinks  that  in  time  his  orphanage  will  become  self- 
supporting. 

Thus  have  the  famine  workers  been  enabled  to  help 
the  people  in  the  time  of  their  need,  and  many  hundreds 
are  alive  to-day  because  of  the  various  forms  of  relief 
which  were  started  and  carried  on  among  them. 

The  effect  of  all  this  charity  and  benevolence  upon 
the  life  and  feelings  of  the  people  has  been  very  salutary, 
and  their  naive  expressions  of  gratitude  have  often  been 
most  touching.  It  is  occasionally  said  by  some  who 
meet  with  the  masses  of  struggling  humanity  in  India, 
that  they  find  but  little  gratitude  among  the  people. 

i93 


13 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


It  is,  indeed,  not  surprising  that  such  miserable  poverty 
should  develop  selfish  and  sordid  instincts,  and  render 
the  masses  dull  and  irresponsive  to  unusual  proffers  of 
charity,  but  the  great  and  prolonged  sufferings  through 
which  they  have  passed  have  also  shown  their  wonder- 
ful patience  and  endurance,  and,  in  many  instances 
have  led  to  manifestations  of  gratitude  as  affecting  in 
their  nature  as  they  are  homely  and  rustic  in  expression. 
Often  have  I had  villagers  fall  prostrate  and  embrace 
my  feet,  while  expressing  their  gratitude  in  loud  tones 
for  being  saved  from  starvation.  Mothers  have  brought 
their  little  children  to  render  thanks,  and  that  the  hand 
of  the  benefactor  might  be  placed  in  blessing  on  their 
head.  The  common  Oriental  forms  of  address,  “ Father  ” 
and  “ Mother,”  and  “ Nourisher  of  the  Poor,”  were  uttered 
with  more  than  the  usual  significance.  Men  saved  in 
the  time  of  direst  need  have  returned  to  offer  their  ser- 
vices free.  It  was  touching  to  see  sometimes  the  efforts 
made  to  maintain  self-respect.  A chief  in  Rajputana, 
dwelling  in  his  ruined  house  and  surrounded  with  his 
starving  people,  accepted  aid  from  charity  for  them,  but 
persisted  in  saying,  “ I am  a Rahtor,  I cannot  receive 
charity.”  Many  parda  nashins  were  reduced  to  the  last 
extremity  before  they  would  accept  the  proffered  aid. 
One  man  was  given  aid  to  get  his  family  to  the  relief 
works,  but  returned  it,  because,  he  said,  he  had 
still  a goat  or  two  which  he  could  live  upon  for  a few 
days.  I visited  many  villages  in  Rajputana  after  the 
famine,  and  have  had  the  villagers  crowd  around,  bring- 
ing the  blankets  and  other  clothing  they  had  received, 
to  show  their  gratitude,  and  how  carefully  they  had 
kept  them.  Gratitude  is  noticeable  in  the  increased 
friendliness  and  confidence  of  the  ryots  towards  their 
benefactors,  in  little  tokens  brought  by  them  and  given 
with  touching  simplicity,  in  many  words  and  expressions 

194 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


used  when  talking  among  themselves  but  overheard  by 
outsiders:  “ If  the  help  had  not  come  the  thread  of  life 
would  have  been  broken  ” ; “ God  has  remembered  us.” 
The  praise  of  the  Indian  com  was  in  everybody’s  mouth. 
Its  size  and  quality  astonished  them.  “ Now  I have  got 
through  to  the  other  side,”  said  a poor  cultivator,  who 
had  been  given  a few  rupees  to  feed  his  bullocks  during 
the  stress.  “ We  have  heard  of  the  generosity  of  Hatim 
Bai,”  said  some,  ‘‘but  we  have  tasted  that  of  the  great 
Queen.”  “These  are  not  rupees  which  have  come  over 
the  sea,”  the  poor  people  cried,  in  their  joy,  “but  they 
are  the  water  of  life.” 

Such  has  been  the  feeling  created  among  the  masses 
of  the  people  relieved.  And  it  is  such  feelings  which 
make  loyal  subjects;  for,  truly, 

“When  gratitude  o’erflows  the  swelling  heart, 

And  breathes  in  free  and  uncorrupted  praise 
For  benefits  receiv’d,  propitious  Heaven 
Takes  such  acknowledgment  as  fragrant  incense. 

And  doubles  all  its  blessings.” 


XX 


CONCLUSION 

“If  any  man  is  in  any  doubt  as  to  whether  he  should  sub- 
scribe, I would  gladly  give  him  a railway -ticket  to  a famine  dis- 
trict, and  take  what  he  chose  to  give  me  on  his  return.  He 
might  go  with  a hard  heart,  but  he  would  come  back  with  a 
broken  one.” — Lord  Curzon. 

It  is  now  time  to  conclude  this  imperfect  sketch  of 
the  great  Indian  famine.  It  has  been  impossible  to  re- 
duce to  writing  a perfectly  vivid  and  accurate  account  of 
the  actual  events  and  effects  of  this  sad  calamity.  There 
is  an  indescribable  horror,  an  unspeakable  misery  about 
it  all  which  eludes  the  skill  of  the  most  graphic  writer 
and  the  talent  of  the  ablest  artist.  Even  photography 
leaves  out  the  most  pathetic,  and  yet  the  most  common 
features — the  groans  of  the  suffering,  the  cry  of  the 
hungry,  and  the  pathetic  pleading  of  mothers  for  their 
children.  Suffering  and  sorrow  and  the  gnawings  of 
hunger  are  just  as  real  as  the  more  tangible  physical 
aspects  and  results  of  famine.  This  great  visitation  has 
gone,  but  it  has  left  its  lessons.  It  has  shown  how 
humanity  is  subject  to  misery  and  suffering;  how  natural 
law  in  its  normal  movement  is  irrevocable  and  impla- 
cable ; how  helpless  man  is  in  such  emergencies ; how  it  is 
incumbent  upon  him  to  plan  to  meet  and  mitigate  such 
awful  visitations ; how  he  should  seek  to  adjust  himself 
to  his  physical  environments ; how,  by  varying  and  multi- 
plying his  industries,  lessening  his  extravagances,  and 

196 


ORPHAN  BOYS  BAPTIZED  BY  BISHOP  WARNE  AT  NADIAD 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


increasing  his  frugality  and  thrift,  he  can  better  his  con- 
dition and  increase  his  staying  power ; how,  by  a multi- 
plied and  extended  system  of  tanks,  lakes,  canals,  and 
railways  he  should  seek  to  maintain  food  supply  and 
transport  it  as  required  into  needy  places. 

The  famine  has  also  called  out  the  benevolence  and 
philanthropy  of  the  world.  It  has  shown  one  half  of  the 
world  how  the  other  half  lives.  The  farmers  of  Kansas 
became  interested  in  the  farmers  of  India.  The  cry  of 
hungry  children  aroused  universal  motherhood.  One 
touch  of  nature  has  made  the  whole  world  kin.  Turn 
now  to  the  outlook : A people  does  not  recover  from  such 
a calamity  in  a day.  The  famine  did  more  than  starve 
people.  The  people  are  dependent  upon  their  draught 
cattle.  In  many  places  these  all  died.  An  agricultural 
people  must  have  ploughs,  and  cattle  and  grain.  Villages 
were  deserted.  Roofless  houses  show  where  man  once 
lived.  Families  were  scattered  and  broken  up,  indus- 
tries disorganized,  and  labor  left  stranded  without  cash, 
kind,  or  credit. 

Slowly  the  affected  provinces  will  return  to  normal 
conditions.  The  keen -eyed  Viceroy,  Lord  Curzon,  at 
the  close  of  the  famine  said  to  his  Legislative  Council : 

“That  the  famine-smitten  tracts  will  at  once  speedily 
lose  the  marks  of  the  ordeal  through  which  they  have 
passed  may  not  be  expected.  The  rapidity  of  recovery 
will  depend  upon  many  circumstances : upon  the  vitality 
and  stout-heartedness  of  the  tillers  of  the  soil,  upon  the 
degrees  of  their  indebtedness,  upon  the  goodness  or  bad- 
ness of  the  next  few  seasons,  upon  the  extent  to  which 
the  cattle  have  perished,  and,  not  least,  upon  the  liber- 
ality in  respect  to  revenue  remission  of  the  governments. 
As  regards  loss  of  stock,  our  latest  reports  are  more  en- 
couraging than  at  one  time  could  have  been  foreseen, 

197 


IN  FAMINE  LAND 


and  justify  us  in  the  belief  that  if  the  season  be  propi- 
tious the  recuperation  will  be  more  rapid  than  might  at 
first  sight  be  deemed  likely.” 

The  paramount  duty  now  devolving  upon  those  who 
made  it  possible  to  rescue  starving  waifs  from  death, 
and  often  from  worse  than  death,  is  the  support  and 
training  of  the  ten  thousand  famine  - stricken,  mostly 
children  and  widows,  gathered  into  various  orphanages 
and  homes.  These  institutions  will  become  in  time,  it 
is  hoped,  partly,  if  not  altogether,  self-supporting,  but 
in  the  mean  time  these  waifs,  many  of  whom  will  develop 
into  useful  members  of  society,  are  dependent  upon  the 
charity  of  the  disciples  of  Him  who  said,  “ Inasmuch  as 
ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  My  breth- 
ren, ye  have  done  it  unto  Me.” 

“One  built  a house — time  laid  it  in  the  dust; 

He  wrote  a book,  its  title  now  forgot; 

He  ruled  a city,  but  his  name  is  not 
On  any  tablet  graven,  or  where  rust 
Can  gather  from  disuse,  or  marble  bust. 

Another  took  a boy  from  wretched  lot, 

Who  on  the  state  dishonor  might  have  brought, 

And  reared  him  to  the  Christian’s  hope  and  trust. 

The  boy,  to  manhood  grown,  became  a light 
To  many  souls,  preached  for  human  need 
The  wondrous  love  of  the  Omnipotent. 

The  work  has  multiplied,  like  stars  at  night 
When  darkness  deepens.  Every  noble  deed 
Lasts  longer  than  a granite  monument.” 


INDEX 


Aborigines,  21,  84. 

Abu  Road,  132,  135. 

Additional  dormitories,  155. 

After  two  months,  156. 
three  months,  160. 
four  months,  162. 

Aged  by  hunger,  145. 

Agents  found,  119. 

Agriculture  the  chief  industry, 
i4- 

Ahmadnagar,  32,  81. 

Ahmedabad,  33. 
poor-house,  44. 

Ajmir-Mairwara,  38,  62,  150. 

Ajmir,  buildings,  155,  156. 
cholera  in,  155. 
city  of  refuge,  153. 
description  of,  99,  150. 
distributing  centre,  153. 
grain-shops,  16 1. 
industrial  work,  156. 
orphanages,  156,  137. 

Akbar,  150. 

Aligarh,  118,  191. 

Alliance  Mission,  the,  37. 

Alms-giving,  96. 

American  donors,  x. 

Americo- Indian  Committee,  61, 
123,  125,  159. 

Amritsar,  meeting  at,  87. 

Anglo-Chinese  College,  124. 

Annals  0}  Rajisthan,  141. 

Apathy  of  Hindus,  89. 
in  native  states,  73. 

Arrival  of  corn,  159. 

Ashe,  Dr.  W.  W.,  118,  179. 

letters  from,  179,  180,  181. 

Assistance  acknowledged,  x. 

At  last,  86. 

Average  rainfall,  8. 

Awful  scenes  in  Gujarat,  80. 


Bailey,  Thomas  A.,  125. 

Banas,  67. 

Banyan-tree,  the,  105,  106. 

Baroda,  80,  106. 

Baulia,  88. 

Bengal,  famines  in,  3,  4. 

Bhagwana,  86. 

Bhartpur,  95. 

Bhils,  account  of,  36,  84. 
missions  among,  87. 
primitive  character  of,  84. 
rude  appearance  of,  84. 
thieving  habits  of,  190. 
warlike  nature  of,  85. 

Biawar,  95,  119,  191. 

Bicycle  tour,  99. 

Bika,  144. 

Bikanir,  account  of,  97,  141,  144 
area  of,  141. 
conquest  of,  144. 
famine  in,  145,  147. 
famine  relief  in,  147. 
population  of,  143. 
present  ruler  of,  144. 
revenue  of,  144. 

Bilaria,  88. 

Bissell,  H.  G.,  32. 

Blair,  G.  W.,  92. 

Blankets,  distribution  of,  127. 
manufacture  of,  127,  130. 

Bombay  Presidency,  famine  in 
31- 

officer’s  letter,  40. 

Bones,  145. 

Breaking  stone,  50. 

Brindaban,  anxiety  about,  158. 
mission  in,  158. 
road,  78. 

Brocklesby’s  Meteorology,  11. 

Brown,  J.  Anderson,  119,  191. 

Brown,  Miss,  death  of,  162. 


INDEX 


Browne,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  88. 

Buildings,  127. 

Bundi,  73,  100. 

Bunya , the,  115,  116. 

Byculla,  32. 

Camp  at  Godhra,  35. 

Canals,  extent  of,  25. 
the  Ganges,  25. 
usefulness  of,  23. 

Carey,  Dr.,  19. 

Cattle,  destruction  of,  116. 

Causes  of  famine,  10,  22. 

Census  returns,  1901,  62. 

Central  Provinces,  famine  in,  30. 
India  Agency,  famine  in,  38. 

Central  Relief  Committee,  57. 

Chambal,  the,  67. 

Chattaks,  49. 

Child,  the  cry  of  a,  96. 

Children,  abandoned,  96,  128,  168. 
rescued,  134,  153. 
sold,  34. 

starving,  127,  128,  154. 
sufferingof,  127, 128, 133, 178. 

Cholera,  31,  35,  85,  92,  103,  105, 
107,  117,  146,  155,  171. 
camp,  no,  in. 

Christian,  the,  61. 

Christian  Herald,  the,  31,  38. 
famine  relief,  59,  70. 

Church  Missionary  Society  Bhil 
Mission,  87. 

Clancy,  Rev.  Dennis,  36,  154,  166, 
182. 

Classification  of  relief,  50. 

Code,  the  Provisional,  42,  46. 

Code  relief,  allowance,  47,  48. 
cattle,  46. 
circle,  44. 
classes,  46. 
gratuitous,  44. 
kitchens,  45. 
orphanages,  46. 
poor-houses,  45,  46. 
works,  44. 

Codes  of  local  governments,  42. 
the  famine,  42. 
unification  of,  42. 

Cold  snap,  34. 

College,  the  Mayo,  84. 

Committee,  Americo-Indian,  61, 
123,  125,  159. 


Committee,  famine  relief,  119. 
international,  123. 
of  one  hundred,  160. 
of  nine,  160. 

Rajputana,  67. 

Sialkote,  61. 

Committees,  relief,  123. 
Conclusion,  196-198. 

of  commission,  17. 

Condition  of  the  people,  16,  17. 
Conference,  Ecumenical  Mission- 
ary, 160. 

Construction  of  villages,  114. 
Contents,  v. 

Contrast  with  former  famines,  32. 
Contributions,  124. 

from  children,  124,  125. 
Convalescents,  58. 

Cooper,  death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  106. 
Corn,  arrival  of,  159. 

Cost  of  famine,  1896-97, 28;  1899- 
1900,  29. 

Council  in  Calcutta,  40. 

Curzon,  Lord,  29,  51,  93,  146,  197. 

Dante’s  Inferno,  99. 

Darkest  India,  15. 

Daropti  Das,  190. 

Dead  pit,  the,  36. 

Death,  place  of,  115. 

the  valley  and  shadow  of,  1 14. 
Debt,  its  prevalence,  18,  19. 

Debt  and  the  Right  Use  of  Money, 
20,  21. 

Deccan,  famine  in  the,  29. 
Decrease  in  the  population,  62. 
Deep  wells,  143. 

Desert,  the  Rajputana,  116. 
Destitution  in  India,  14,  15. 
Development  of  resources,  27. 
Devotion  of  workers,  no,  154, 
155,  159,  172. 

Devouring  fish,  35. 

Dinners  to  Christians,  98. 

to  the  poor,  120,  121. 
Disappointed  wanderers,  79. 
Distribution  of  clothing,  130,  136. 

of  grain,  136,  183. 

Divine  Providence  and  famine, 
12. 

Dixon,  Captain,  152. 

Dohad,  107. 

Donation  from  children,  124. 


200 


INDEX 


Donation,  from  China,  124. 

from  Christian  Herald  fund, 
182. 

from  committees,  59,  61. 
from  friends,  124. 
of  clothing,  136. 
of  foods,  135. 
of  medicines,  61. 

Dole  system,  96. 

Dudo  Punja,  90. 

Dunlop-Smith,  Major,  147. 

Dutt,  Romesh,  C.I.E.,  3,  9,  26. 
Duty,  198. 

Ecumenical  Missionary  Con- 
ference, 160. 

Emigration  from  native  states,  65, 
77,  82. 

Endurance  of  natives,  194. 
Epidemics  accompanying  famine, 
io3- 

Equivalent,  grain,  48. 

Everlasting  wail,  95. 

Excessive  land-tax,  27. 
Expenditure  on  famines,  54. 
Extent  of  famine,  1896-97,  28; 

1899-1900,  29. 

Extent  of  canals,  25. 
of  railways,  25. 

Fairbank,  Rev.  E.,  31,  37. 
Famine  in  Gujarat,  33. 
among  the  Bhils,  87. 
codes,  42. 

commission,  1898,  44,  49; 

1901,  54,  63. 
committee,  central,  57. 

Interdenominational,  71. 
Rajputana,  119,  123. 
conditions,  69,  70. 
cost  of,  65. 
diseases,  119. 
extent  of,  28. 

facts  and  fallacies,  26,58,59. 
horrors  of,  97,  98. 
in  Bombay  Presidency,  31. 
Central  India,  38. 
native  states,  65,  72. 
Punjab,  39. 

Rajputana,  69. 
the  Central  Provinces, 
30- 

land,  through,  97. 


Famine,  lessons  from,  196 
officers,  56. 
preparedness  for,  52. 
relief,  54,  123. 
relief  camp,  Jaipur,  122. 
reports,  17,  28,  64. 
tables,  46,  47,  50,  58,  59. 

Famines  and  Land  Assessments  in 
India,  26. 

Famines,  causes  of,  10. 

during  the  past  century,  8. 
great,  in  India,  1. 
in  Bengal,  3. 

Bombay,  7. 

Deccan,  2. 

Madras,  1. 

Northwest  Provinces,  1. 

Punjab,  1,  7. 

Rajputana,  4,  5,  6. 

Sind,  2. 

prevention  of,  23. 

Victorian  era,  8. 

Farmers,  condition  of,  81,  82. 

Fee,  W.  T.,  61 . 

Feebleness  of  the  people,  97. 

Food  required,  47. 
stuffs,  134,  137. 

Forms  of  relief,  grain-shops,  186. 
industrial  work,  192. 
kitchens,  187. 
need  of,  185. 
orphanages,  19 1. 
rescue  work,  190. 
results,  193. 
various,  44,  54,  185. 

Fox,  D.  O.,  162. 

Frease,  E.  F.,  his  plans,  187,  192. 
letters  from,  159,161,162,182. 
sickness  of,  163. 

Fruit  bearing,  192. 

Fuller,  Mrs.  M.  B.,  37. 

Funds,  plea  for,  100,  101. 

Future  prospects,  196. 

Ganges  Canal,  25. 

Gill,  C.  H.,  85. 

Glossary,  206. 

Godhra,  34,  104,  105,  107. 

Government  allowance,  46. 
resolution,  1893,  48. 

Grain  bags,  114,  126,  153. 
equivalent,  43,  45,  48. 
for  villagers,  160. 


201 


INDEX 


Grain,  ship-load  of,  159. 
transported,  23. 
waiting  for,  186. 

Grain-shops,  Ajmir,  16 1. 

and  kitchens,  187,  188. 
Bikanir,  147. 

Bir,  186. 

Merta  Road,  186. 

Phalera,  186. 

Pisangun,  186. 
proceeds  of,  126. 

Tilaunia,  170. 

Grant  from  Americo-Indian  fund, 
„ x59- 

Gratitude  for  help,  175,  193, 

194. 

Gratuitous  relief,  54. 

Great  famines  in  India,  1. 

famine  in  1631,  1;  1770,  3. 
Group  of  orphans,  156,  160,  162. 
Guardian,  the  Bombay,  61,  90, 
92,  123. 

Guests,  our,  96. 

Gujarat,  cholera  in,  106,  107. 
famine  in,  33,  79,  80,  106. 
grain  depots  in,  186. 
usually  exempt,  33,  41. 

Hall,  Captain,  151. 

Hardships,  93. 

Harrison,  J.  C.,  88. 

Hauser,  Mrs.  I.  L.,  139. 

Hearing  petitions,  64. 

Help  needed  and  secured,  168. 
Henderson,  Rev.  George,  98. 
Herald,  the  Christian,  123,  124, 
126,  134,  159. 

Herbert,  Rev.  E.  P.,  88. 
Heroism,  103,  109,  154. 

Hides,  99. 

Higher  castes  affected,  34. 
Hissar,  39. 

Historic  faculty  wanting,  1. 
Hoogly,  corpses  in  the,  4. 
Horrors  of  famine,  95,  97,  100, 
101,  103,  107,  108,  127,  145. 
Hudson,  Rev.  T.  M.,  80,  161, 
162. 

Hume,  Rev.  E.  S.,  32,  37,  71. 

R.  A.,  193- 

Hunger,  aged  by,  145. 

Hunter,  Dr.  W.  W.,  13,  16. 

Sir  William,  14. 


Illustrations,  vii.,  viii. 
Immigration,  evils  of,  82. 
Impotence  of  the  people,  117. 
Incineration,  107. 

Indescribable  conditions,  196. 
India,  map  of,  facing  p.  1. 

poverty  of,  14. 

India  and  Malaysia,  15. 

Indian  apathy,  72. 

Famine  Commission,  23. 
famines  (see  Famines) , 1-9. 
Industrial  work,  127,  192,  193. 
Inglis,  J.,  101. 

Inn  rented,  156. 

Interdenominational  F amine  Com- 
mittee, 71. 

Irrigation,  its  extent,  27. 

Jahangir,  150. 

Jai  Chand,  1. 

Jaipur,  95,  1 21. 

maharajah,  liberality  of, 
122. 

relief  works,  122. 

Jalandhar  City,  80. 

Jats,  144. 

| Jhalod,  90. 

Jodh  Rao,  144. 

Jodha,  Maharajah,  116. 

Jodhpur,  95,  115. 

Journal,  the  India  Sunday-School, 
123. 

Jungle  Tribe’s  Mission,  108. 

Kanbai,  86. 

Karmarkher,  S.  V.,  81. 
Kathiawar,  33. 

Khandesh,  84. 

Khandwa,  no. 

Kherwara,  85. 

Kishangarh,  95. 

Kitchens,  Banas,  132. 

Bikanir,  147. 

Disa,  132. 

Erinpura  Road,  132. 
Mehsana,  132. 

Naraina,  126,  188. 

Phalera,  126,  188. 

Raho,  132. 

Rani,  132. 

Sujat  Road,  132. 

Tilaunia,  126,  166,  167, 

188. 


202 


INDEX 


Klopsch,  Dr.  Louis,  37,  59,  8o, 
106. 

Kuchawan,  95. 

Land-tax  excessive,  27. 
Lawson,  Mrs.,  191. 

Lessons  from  the  famine,  196. 
Letters  to  an  Indian  Rajah, 
7 1 • 

Liberal  relief,  51. 

Little  children,  suffering  of, 
178. 

Locusts  a cause  of  famine,  7. 
Loni,  the,  67. 

Lord  Cornwallis,  4. 

Curzon  (see  Curzon,  Lord). 
Landsdowne,  69. 

Macaulay,  Lord,  3. 

Madras  Presidency,  famine  in,  1, 

7- 

Mahrattas,  150. 

Mairwara,  history  of,  150. 
lawlessness  of,  151. 
prosperity  of,  152. 

Map  of  India,  facing  p.  1. 

Mark  Twain,  1. 

Marks,  Miss  Lilian,  38,  101,  127, 
129,  156,  169,  170,  171,  172, 
i73.  1 74- 

Marriages,  expensiveness  of,  21. 
Marwar,  114,  116. 

Junction,  113,  118,  133. 
Marwari,  his  condition,  117. 
Material  losses,  63. 

Mayo  College,  the,  84. 

McNeill,  J . H . , 108. 

McWhinney,  Dr.  R.  B.,  90. 
Meaning  of  Indian  words,  206. 
Megasthenes,  25. 

Merta  Road,  95,  180. 

AI  eleorology,  1 1 . 

Mills’s  History  of  India,  2. 
Minimum  ration  and  wage,  43. 
Mission,  Irish  Presbyterian,  88, 

9°. 

Money-lenders,  the,  19. 

and  the  government,  20. 
extortioners,  19. 

Moneyless,  113. 

Monsoon,  operation  of,  10. 

failure  of,  the  cause  of 
famine,  10,  12. 


More  Tramps  Abroad,  1. 

Morgan  and  Scott,  137. 

Mortality,  among  the  Bhils,  36. 
cattle,  64,  81. 
extent  of,  63,  64,  65. 
frontispiece, 
in  native  states,  62. 

Central  Provinces,  62. 
Gujarat,  63. 

prevention  of,  impossible, 
56- 

through  epidemics  resulting 
from  famine,  62,  63. 
Mulligan,  Rev.  W.,  37,  90,  92. 
Mussood,  I.,  1. 

Muttra,  1 1 7. 

Nadiad,  162. 

Nagaur,  98. 

Naraina,  120,  188. 

Nash,  Vangham,  30,  146. 
Nasirabad,  100. 

Native  princes,  policy  of,  146. 
Native  states,  emigration  from, 

famine  in,  71,  74,  145. 
government  of,  69. 
independence  of,  69. 
number  of,  71. 
obstacles  in,  71. 
relief  in,  74. 

Need  of  help,  16 1. 

Newton,  Rev.  C.  B.,  80. 
Nightingale,  Dr.,  36. 

Northwest  Provinces,  famine  in, 
1.  7- 

Nursing  mothers,  50. 

Nyanagar,  152. 

Obstacles  to  reform,  71. 
Official  Report  of  Commissioners, 
28. 

On  the  way,  78. 

Orphan  boys,  Nadiad,  162. 
Orphanages,  126,  207. 

Orphans,  126,  160,  164,  191. 
Osborne,  Rev.  Dennis,  135. 

Our  guests,  96. 

Outram,  Rev.  Arthur,  86. 
Over-assessment  a cause  of  fam- 
ine, 27. 

Overlapping,  140,  160. 
Overwhelmed,  174. 


203 


INDEX 


Pali,  117. 

Panch  Mahals,  famine  in,  35,  90. 
Panic  at  Godhra,  35. 

Parantij,  88. 

Park,  J.  W.,  162. 

Willie,  death  of,  162. 
Patients,  sorting  the,  108. 

People  chiefly  agricultural,  14. 
Pestilence,  2. 

Petitions  of  the  poor,  64. 
Phalera  buildings,  176,  183. 
blankets,  120. 
difficulties,  170,  179. 
grain-shop,  182 
heavy  work,  180,  183. 
industrial  work,  183. 
kitchen,  177,  186. 
orphanages,  179,  184. 
training-school,  177. 
work  opened,  176. 
Philanthropy  called  out,  197. 
Photographs,  xi. 

Piece-work  forbidden,  43. 

Piles  of  bags,  1 14. 

Pit,  the  dead.  36,  105. 

Place  of  death,  115. 

Plague,  the  bubonic,  41. 

Plans  at  Ajmir,  120. 

Plea  for  funds,  100,  101. 

Plomer,  C.  H.,  no. 

Poor-house,  the,  35,  104,  120. 
Poverty  of  the  people,  14,  16. 
Preface,  ix. 

Preparedness  for  famine,  54. 
Present  duty,  198. 

Prevention  of  famine,  23. 

Prices  and  wages,  18. 

Private  relief,  59. 

Proverbs,  10. 

Provisional  Code,  46. 

Punjab,  famine  in,  1,  7,  39. 
Punjabis,  88. 

Quality  of  corn  praised,  195. 
Quantity  of  food  given,  186. 
Quarters  for  the  people,  127. 
Quiet  eating,  12 1. 

(Juilo,  S.  S.,  59,  61,  126,  159. 

arrival  of,  159. 

Quitting  home,  78. 

Raho  kitchen  report,  132. 
Railways,  extent  of,  25. 


Railways,  usefulness  in  time  of 
famine,  23,  1 17. 

Railway-stations,  97,  165. 

Rainfall  in  India,  8. 

Rajputana,  cause  of  severity  of 
famine,  69,  70. 

description  of,  67,  68. 
famine  relief,  54,  123. 
famines  in,  4-7,  36,  38,  69. 
forms  of  relief,  185. 
lack  of  enterprise  in,  70. 
late  famine  in,  69,  70. 
relief  committee  in,  119. 
starving  villagers  of,  66. 
tour  in,  95-102. 

Rajputs,  97. 

Ramabai,  Pandita,  135,  137. 

Rations,  47. 

Ravages  of  famine,  9. 

Receiving  and  giving,  123. 

Rees,  J.  D.,  26. 

Reinforcements,  88. 

Relief,  Christian  Herald,  61. 
camps,  1 17,  1 18. 
classification  of,  42. 
measures,  42,  43,  44. 
numbers  receiving,  56. 
reports,  58,  59. 

Report  of  Commission,  1898,  8,  28; 
1901,  64. 

Viceroy,  1900,  29. 

Rescue  work,  135,  153,  170,  190. 

Rescued  children,  119,  134,  153. 

Returns,  census,  62. 

Rhodes,  Rev.  E.,  88. 

Robinson,  Rev.  J.  E.,  104. 

Rev.  J.  W.,  161. 

Robson,  Dr.  R.  G.,  119. 

Room  in  the  inn,  156. 

Rustam,  96. 

Ryot,  his  improvidence,  21. 

Sacrifice,  94. 

Sad  sights,  177. 

Saharmati,  the,  67. 

Sali,  120. 

Sambhar  Lake,  97. 

Sand  and  salt,  97. 

Scott,  Dr.  Emma,  no. 

letters  from,  156,  157,  167. 
sickness  of,  173. 

Scott,  Robert,  9. 

Sea  of  sand,  97. 


204 


INDEX 


Season  reports,  43. 

Serai,  the,  157. 

Shadow  of  death,  114. 

Shops,  grain,  147,  161,  170,  186. 

an  aid  to  kitchens,  187. 
Shylock  of  India,  20. 

Sialkote  Mission  fund,  61. 

Sind,  farmers  in,  2. 

Singh,  Sir  Pertab,  117. 

Skeletons,  118. 

Smith,  S.  O.,  1 18,  131. 

letters  from,  133,  138,  140. 
Sorting  the  patients,  108. 

South  Rampur,  90. 

Africa,  letters  from,  125. 
Spontaneous  vegetables,  142. 

Sri  Ganga  Singh,  Maharajah,  144, 
146,  147. 

Staff  that  stuck,  the,  no. 
Starved,  104. 

Starving  villagers,  68. 

Stevenson,  T.  S.,  88. 
Stone-breaking,  50. 

Suffering  children,  178. 

Sujat  Road  clothing,  136,  139. 
grain,  132,  135. 
kitchens,  132,  135. 
rescue  work,  131,  134,  138. 
reports  from,  132,  133. 
work,  how  opened,  131. 
work  stopped,  133. 

Summary  of  causes  of  famine, 
22,  39. 

extent  and  severity  of  fam- 
ine, 40. 

Sun-spots  and  famine,  13. 

Table,  census,  62. 
famine,  7. 
rations,  46,  47,  50. 

Taragarh,  150. 

Taubuland,  125. 

Taylor,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  90. 
Thanksgiving  service,  in. 

The  horrors  of  famine,  97,  98. 
Theory  of  sun-spots,  13. 

Thoburn,  Bishop  J.  M.,  15,  60. 
Thompson,  Rev.  C.  S.,  37,  85. 
death  of,  37,  85,  86. 
work  of,  37,  85. 

Tilaunia  cotton-press,  165. 
description  of,  165. 
grain-shop,  169. 


Tilaunia  kitchen,  165,  166. 
rescue  camp,  167. 
sickness,  174. 
weavers,  192. 

Times,  the,  9. 

Todd,  James,  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
1 14,  141. 

Too  late,  91. 

Tour  Round  India,  25. 

Training-school,  Bikanir,  148. 
Phalera,  177. 

Trekking,  77. 

Trying  times,  163. 

Tryon,  Miss,  in. 

Tucker,  Commissioner,  15,  20. 

Unconcern  of  Rajahs,  73. 

Undersold  bunyas,  186. 

Unification  of  codes,  42. 

Unpreparedness  for  famine,  27. 

Unutterable  sufferings,  97,  101, 
104,  107. 

Unwholesome  food,  137,  177. 

Useful  foods,  135. 

Usefulness  of  railways,  23,  117. 
canals,  23. 

Valentine,  Rev.  Colin  S.,  61. 

Valley  and  shadow  of  death, 
114. 

Vegetables,  spontaneous,  142. 

Via  dolorosa,  117. 

Viceroy’s  statement,  51. 
famine  report,  29,  93. 

Villagers,  emigration  of,  78. 
grain  for  the,  159. 
starving,  68. 

Villages  abandoned,  78,  81. 
construction  of,  114. 

Vincent,  H.  A.,  147. 

Volunteers,  168. 

Wadala,  31,  37. 

Wage,  how  expressed,  52. 
scale,  50. 

Waifs  from  the  famine,  x. 

Wail  of  woe,  95. 

Waiting  for  food,  12. 

Wanderers  in  Gujarat,  79. 

Ward,  Rev.  Robert  C.,  104,  106. 
sickness  of,  162,  163. 

War  and  famine,  2. 
in  Africa,  41. 


205 


INDEX 


Warren  Hastings,  4. 

Water  famine,  29,  31,  32. 

Way,  on  the,  78. 

Weavers,  148,  170,  192. 

Wells,  deep,  143. 

Westcott.  Rev.  Foss,  88. 
Whitehouse,  Dr.  J.,  death  of, 
,i63- 

"Widows’  home,  126,  19 1. 

Witness,  the  Indian,  61,  104,  123, 
187 

W omen,  suffering  of,  32,  177. 
Words,  Indian,  206. 


Workers,  sufferings  of,  163,  164. 
devotion  of,  no,  154,  155, 
159.  172- 

Wrecks  of  humanity,  97,  98. 

Years  of  famine,  1-9. 

Young  forsaken,  96,  127,  128. 

saving  the,  134,  153. 
Youthfulness  gone,  145. 

Zealous  workers,  93,  94,  190. 
Zenana  women,  32,  34. 

Zone,  famine,  29,  39. 


GLOSSARY 


Anna,  1-16  of  a rupee. 
Bunya,  money  - lender  and 
grain  merchant. 

Chattak,  1-16  of  a seer. 
Crore,  ten  millions. 

Kharif,  the  autumnal  harvest. 
Lakh,  hundred  thousand. 
Pice,  1-4  of  an  anna. 


Pie,  1-12  of  an  anna. 

Purda,  curtain. 
Purda-nishin,  Purda  woman. 
Rabi,  the  spring  harvest. 
Rupee,  33  cents. 

Ryot,  tenant. 

Sari,  Hindu  woman’s  dress. 
Seer,  two  pounds. 


THE  END 


Date  Due 


-*&***»* u* 

^ 1 

